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SALZBURG, FROM THE HILL 



l"Hi£ 



Heart of Europe 



From the Rhine to the Danube. 



A SERIES OF STRIKING AND INTERESTING VIEWS. 



WITH TEXT 

BV 

LEO DE COLANGE, LL.D. 



INCLUDING 



Ellustratibe ftocms bu JForcign airti American autijors. 







BOSTON: 
ESTES AND LAURIAT, PUBLISHERS 

i88<. 



•" 



Copyright, 188S, 
By Estes and Lauriat. 



THE LIBRARY? 
OF CONGRESS 

WASHINGTON 



f'7 





ANCIENT ROMAN BATHS. 



THE HEART OF EUROPE, 



DOWN THE RHINE 



THE RHINE. 

Hills and towers are gazing downward 

In the mirror-gleaming Rhine, 
And my boat drives gayly onward, 

While the sun-rays round it shine. 

Calm I watch the wavelets stealing, 

Golden gleaming, as I glide ; 
Calmly too awakes the feeling 

Which within my heart I hide. 

Gently greeting and assuring, 

Bright the river tempts me on ; 
Well I know that face alluring! 

Death and night lie further down ! 

Joy above, at heart beguiling, — 

Thou 'rt my own love's image, Flood ! 
She too knows the art of smiling, 

She can seem as calm and good. 

Hkinricii Heine. Tr. C. G. Lf.land. 

VICTOR HUGO remarks: "Of all rivers I love the Rhine." It is a 
noble stream, worthy of the great nations to whom it has belonged. 
It unites all charms : it is rapid like the Rhone, broad as the Loire, tortuous 
as the Seine, royal like the Danube, historic as the Tiber, mysterious as the 
Nile, flecked with gold like an American river, overhung with fables and 
phantoms like a river of Asia. 



8 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



Before history, — perhaps before man existed, — where now the Rhine 
flows, smoked and blazed a double row of volcanoes, which have left be- 
hind them two heaps of lava and basalt, in parallel rows like two enormous 
walls. Through this great road the Rhine found its way to the sea, and, how 
early we know not, the great family of Gauls made their home upon its 




banks. Centuries passed away, and Julius Caesar came ; Drusus built his 
fifty forts ; Agrippa established his colony : the Rhine belonged to Rome. 
The colonial period came to its close amid the storm of barbarian incursions, 
and the Rhenish hill-tops were crowded with Roman ruins in the sixth cen- 
tury, as to-day they are with the dilapidated castles belonging to the feudal 
period. 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 9 

Charlemagne restored these ruins, rebuilt the fortresses, and garrisoned 
them against the old German tribes gathering themselves together under new 
names, but with the same spirit which led their forefathers to the destruction 
of Rome ; at Mayence he built a bridge whose ruins arc yet to be seen under 

the water. 

Here was a Roman camp thirty-eight years before Christ ; and here, in 
14 b. c, Drusus founded the city. A hexagonal reservoir, and an aqueduct of 
which sixty-two pillars are yet standing, are memorials of the Roman rule. 
It is said that Mayence was the scene of Constantine's vision of the cross, and 
it is unquestionably true that here was established the first archiepiscopal see 
in Germany. In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries they called it " golden 
Mayence," for its commercial prosperity ; and it is now the strongest fortress 
of the German Empire. 

In the illustration is seen in the foreground the statue of Gutenberg, 
designed by Thonvaldsen and executed at Paris, the cost being defrayed by 
contributions from all parts of Europe. Gutenberg was born here in 1397, 
and it was here that he established himself, on his return from Strasburg, 
and in a house still existing he printed his Biblia Latina. 

At Mayence begins the steamboat navigation of the Rhine, which brings 
it much stir and animation. We cannot leave this portion of the river with- 
out a glance at Frankfort-on-the-Main, its neighbor making almost one city 
with it, connected as the two are by railway, and by the most intimate asso- 
ciations of every kind. 

Frankfort, the great imperial city of the Middle Ages, however, no longer 
exists. The narrow streets through which Charles V. and his cavaliers were 
wont to ride, the peaked gable-roofs, the wooden fronts to the houses all 
crowded with quaint and curious carving, have vanished before the demon of 
improvement. Whoever visits Frankfort, fresh from the pages of the old 
chroniclers, will be astonished to find how much of its past has disappeared, 
how little really remains of the grand old mediaeval city. 

And now we come to the very Paradise of the Rhine, the enchanting 
region commencing at Mayence and ending just below Rudesheim, which is 
called in German the Rheingau. The scenery here has no affinity to river 
scenery; it is rather that of a succession of lakes, each differing from the rest, 
yet all bearing a general resemblance, as might be the case in a series of 
family portraits. 



10 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



The Rheingau is the vineyard of Germany ; the cultivation of the grape 
has spread itself over every rood of ground in this favored region. Rocky 
slopes and crests, precipices where one can hardly stand, have been broken 
up, dug over, and fertilized. In fault of arable soil, the soft, friable rock 
has been pulverized. Far out of sight the vines extend their regular ranks, 
and all the hillsides bristle with them. Against this sheet of verdure are 
detached, at intervals, great Italian villas, with flat roofs and square walls, 
the summer homes of the wealthy wine merchants of Mayence or Frankfort ; 
flags bearing the national colors fly from these roofs, indicating, as in a royal 




FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN 



palace, when the owner is " in residence." But rarely or never are there 
gardens or pleasure-grounds around these stately chateaux. The ground is 
too precious to be used for flowers or ornamental trees. All that an oak 
or a larch can do is to furnish a little shade from the sun ; but every foot of 
land used for a vineyard is covered, in the autumn, with pieces of gold. At 
the foot of the terrace an elegantly decorated skiff lies balancing on the waves. 
To have a villa in the Rheingau and a boat on the Rhine, expresses the 
sum of human prosperity in this land. 

The old town of Rudesheim is one of the most famous on the river. 
Tradition ascribes the first planting of its vineyards to Charlemagne, who, 
noticing that the snow disappeared earlier from the heights behind the town 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. II 



than from other regions in the neighborhood, ordered vines to be brought 
from Burgundy and Orleans. The Bromserburg, elose on the bank of the 
river, is the great show-place of the town, — an old robber-castle founded in 
the thirteenth century, and still in good preservation. 



A RHINE LEGEND. 

By the Rhine, the emerald river, 

How softly glows the night ! 
The vine-clad hills are lying 

In the moonbeams' golden light. 

And on the hillside vvalketh 

A kingly shadow down, 
With sword and purple mantle, 

And heavy golden crown. 

'T is Charlemagne, the emperor, 

Who, with a powerful hand, 
For many a hundred years 

Hath ruled in German land. 

From out his grave in Aachen 

He hath arisen there, 
To bless once more his vineyards, 

And breathe their fragrant air. 

By Rudesheim, on the water, 

The moon doth brightly shine, 
And buildeth a bridge of gold 

Across the emerald Rhine. 

The emperor walketh over, 

And all along the tide 
Bestows his benediction 

On the vineyards far and wide. 

Then turns he back to Aachen, 

In his grave-sleep to remain, 
Till the New Year's fragrant clusters 

Shall call him forth again. 

Then let us fill our glasses, 

And drink, with the golden wine, 
The German hero-spirit, 

And its hero-strength divine. 

Emanuel Geibel. Tr. W. W. Caldwell. 



12 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



A few miles farther down the river, on the left bank, stands Bacharach, 
one of the most picturesque and quaint of all the old towns of Germany. 
Bacharach takes its name from the old Roman designation, the Altar of Bac- 
chus, and this well suits its character. 




RUDESHEIM 



'You would say," remarks Victor Hugo, "that some giant, who was a 
dealer in bric-a-bmc, wishing to establish himself in business here, had taken 
a hillside for his show-case, and spread out his curiosities from base to sum- 
mit." In truth, he begins under the very waters of the Rhine; for there, just 
beneath the surface, lies a volcanic rock, according to some authorities ; a Celtic 
pithen, according to others ; a Roman altar, in the opinion of a few. Next, on 
the river-bank, are some old worm-eaten hulls of vessels, cut in two and planted 




THE CASTLE OF NECKARSTEINACH. 



THE HEART OE EUROPE. 



in the ground, so as to make decent cabins for fishermen. Then, behind these 
cabins, we come to a portion of the city wall, which once was crenellated, 
flanked by four square towers, the most ruinous and shot-battered that ever 
human eyes beheld. Then, against the wall itself, in which are pierced win- 
dows and galleries for them, a curious medley of houses, with fantastic turrets, 




BACHARACH. 



preposterous facades, impossible gables, — heavy beams designing delicate ara- 
besques on the outside of some of these edifices, chimneys in the shape of 
tiaras and crowns (philosophically full of smoke), extravagant weathercocks that 
are not weathercocks at all, but Gothic letters out of old manuscripts ! 

And the old fairy-village, full of story and legend, is occupied by a pic- 
turesque population, who have, every one of them, old and young, babies and 



i6 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



grandfathers, deformed and pretty, — in look, in profile, and in attitude, — some 
quaint suggestion, some imperative reminder, of that thirteenth century to 
which their town belongs. 

The Rhine roars superbly around Bacharach. He seems to love his old 
city, and to guard it well ; and nothing is more enchanting than Bacharach 
in the sunshine. All the decrepit, withered facades grow young and beautiful. 
The turrets and weathercocks cast grotesque shadows everywhere. Flowers 
and women are in all the windows, and in every doorway some pleasing group 
of children and old men basking in the sun. 




KAUB AND THE PFALZ. 



Below Bacharach appears the Pfalz, or Pfalzgrafenstein, rising out of the 
river, and likened by some traveller's quaint fancy to a stone ship at anchor 
forever in the Rhine. It is a small pentagonal building, built by Louis the 
Bavarian as a convenient toll-house for waylaying passing vessels, and exact- 
ing tribute from them. In the narrow courtyard is a well sunk far below 
the bed of the Rhine, and the castle itself is accessible only by means of a 
ladder. 

On the bank lies the little town of Kaub, with its slate quarries under- 
ground ; and behind the town rise the heights crowned by the castle of Guten- 
fels. It owes its name to the beautiful Beatrix Guta, the sister of Philip 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



17 



von Falkenstein, who was loved and married by Richard of Cornwall, the 

English prince, brother of Henry III. As late as the present century this 

castle was habitable ; but owing' to the expense of keeping it in repair, the 

roofs and woodwork were sold at auction in 1807, and the building converted 

into a ruin. In 1814, from these heights Bluchers army came in sight of 

the river, and all the advance, beholding the ancient landmark of their country, 

so long in French possession, knelt, crying out with true German ardor, "The 

Rhine!" "The Rhine!" while those who were behind rushed on, hearing the 
cry, in expectation of another battle. 




EHRENBREITSTEIN. 



Seen from the river, the great fortress of the "Broad Stone of Honor" (for 
such is the meaning of its name, Ehrenbreitstein) does not quite meet one's 
expectations. It sometimes seems to be nothing but a strange, stern-looking 
wall, running along the summit of the principal rock, leaping across the val- 
ley, and making a battlement upon the sides of the hills beyond. But as you 
approach, the scene develops before your eyes. Walls rise over walls, ram- 
parts behind ramparts; flights of steps, gulfs, chasms, appear; bayonets glitter, 
and the muzzles of cannon look out at you through every opening. Ranks of 
figures rise from height to height, vanishing into the interior of the rock, and 
on the very summit a helmeted head Hashes back the sunlight from its metal 
casque. 



io THE HEART OF EUROPE. 

"Here Ehrenbreitstein, with her shattered wall 

Black with the miner's blast, upon her height 

Yet shows of what she was, when shell and ball 

Rebounding idly on her strength did light : 

A tower of victory, from whence the flight 

Of baffled foes was watched along the plain : 

But Peace destroyed what War could never blight, 

And laid those proud roofs bare to summer's rain, — 
On which the iron shower for years had poured in vain." 

Lord Byron. 

Escaping from this great temple of war, we find nothing before us but 
beauty, tranquillity, and content. Gardens, orchards, and fields spread out on 
both sides of the river, and soft outlines of hills rise in the distance. After 
some miles of this tranquil scenery the valley grows more varied and pic- 
turesque. The river flows in a narrower channel, its waters rush more rapidly, 
and the walls of rock that shut them in become loftier and more rugged. 
Andernach appears in the distance, a quaint, interesting old town, situated in 
a vast amphitheatre of basaltic hills. The church with its four tall towers, 
built in the thirteenth century, appears for some time in view before the town 
is reached. 

Beyond Andernach there is a countless succession of castles and towers, 
some ruinous, some well repaired, — and each with its legend, or poetic fable, 
or genuine bit of history attached to it. Among them we would not fail to 
note the old donjon of the Godesburg, surmounting the hill of the same name, 
and but a little distance from Bonn. The hill itself was anciently devoted to 
the worship of Mercury, some writers assert ; others maintain that the early 
structure known to have stood there was an open court of justice, of the Ger- 
man tribes. The traditionary account is, that a foreign king, with a mighty 
train of followers, arriving in the neighborhood, raised here a temple to the 
powers of darkness, and offered sacrifices of human victims. Through the 
power of the demons he tyrannized over this portion of the Rhine valley till 
the coming of a Christian priest, who routed him and his imps, and freed the 
country from the evil influence. In this fiction is traced the subjugation of 
this region by Julian the Apostate, who is known to have had a camp here, 
and very probably constructed a temple or a castle of some kind. After the 
emperor's departure, the inhabitants, who had been meantime converted to 
Christianity, erected a chapel dedicated to St. Michael. 

At all events these buildings were in ruins in 1210, and an archbishop of 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



19 



the neighborhood used them in his turn as material for building- a castle, 
which was blown up three hundred years later, leaving only the donjon. 

This tower, which is ninety feet high, is a picturesque feature in the land- 
scape, but has its special merit as an observatory, commanding a view of the 
whole range of the Siebengebirge, all whose summits are crowned with mould- 
ering castles and ruined towers. 

And now, what shall we say of the great city of the Rhine, by far the 
largest and the most important of the many which grace its shores ? 




GOOESBURG. 



"The destiny of cities," says a French author, "is peculiar. A colony of 
Ubii, settled on the right bank of the Rhine, being unable successfully to oppose 
the incursions of their predatory neighbors, sought the assistance of Rome. 
Marcus Agrippa proposed to them to cross the river, and opened to them the 
asylum of the Roman camp. This change decided the course of history. 
The right bank of the river fell under the occupation of barbarous tribes, and 
possessed for ages neither towns nor commerce, nor any settled social life : the 
left touched at every point upon Roman Gaul, then in the full flush of civili- 
zation. Glance at the map, and you will see that nearly all the important 
cities of the Rhine are on its left bank." 

A few years later a daughter was born to the Roman general Germani- 



20 THE HEART OF EUROPE. 

cus, in this Ubian camp. The child was named Agrippina, — too well known 
in history as the mother of Nero, — and the Ubii paid their general the politic 
compliment of naming their town after her — Colonia Agrippina. The second 
word vanished in time, and the city of mediaeval and of modern times remains 
Colonia, or Cologne. 

Can it be called a handsome city? By no means. It has all the disadvan- 
tages of the mediaeval period, and none of its beauty. It is muddy, irregular, 
dark, poorly laid out, and badly paved. Seen from the river, its aspect is pleasant, 
but all the fairness vanishes as you lose yourself in its labyrinthine streets. 
It has its Cathedral, however, a priceless gem, without an equal in the world. 

Fifty years ago the Cathedral was absolutely in ruins. The Revolution 
had used it for a storehouse of hay and grain. The Empire was no more 
respectful. At last the ravages of time, which were added to those of man, 
remaining unrepaired for centuries, the general decay and dilapidation of the 
whole building inspired serious fears for the solidity of the portion already 
completed. The roof began to give way. At last an accident brought men 
to their senses. The old derrick, which, from the top of the tower, had called 
in vain on generation after generation to complete the work of their fore- 
fathers, fell to the ground in a storm. The people of the town were shocked, 
and they voted the necessary funds to supply a new one. At this time, the 
same Frederick William IV. who restored Stolzenfels chanced to visit Cologne, 
and he at once conceived the warmest interest in the grand old edifice- 
During the next twenty years about three hundred thousand dollars were fur- 
nished from the Prussian treasury for the most urgent repairs, and a society 
was formed for the maintenance and completion of the structure. The king 
promised an annual subscription of fifty thousand dollars, and on the 4th of 
September, 1842, the second foundation of the Cathedral was celebrated with 
imposing ceremonies. From that date to its completion in 1880 the work 
steadily advanced, in strict harmony with the original plan. The first stone 
of this Cathedral was laid on the 14th of August, 1248, at a depth of fifty- 
five feet. 

The famous tomb of the Three Magi is the most venerated of the many 
sepulchres contained within the Cathedral. It is a large case, so to speak, 
made of various colored marbles, enclosed in heavy copper gratings, in which 
three turbans, mingled with the other designs, strike the eye, — an odd reminder 
that these wise men came from the East. Three copper lamps, always burning, 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



21 



bear the names of the three kings, — Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar ; and 
the same names, written in rubies, sparkle from the shrine. 




THE CATHEDRAL OF COLOGNE. 



One other church in Cologne must be visited, that we may have a correct 
idea of its religious life ; this is the old Byzantine church of St. Martin, 
whose round arched windows are less poetic than the Gothic arch, but have 
their own grave dignity and solemnity. One should visit this church on a 



22 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



market-day, when the peasant women of the neighborhood leave their fruits 
and veeetables, and come in to hear mass. In their absorbed devotion, no 
less earnest because so awkward, we get a picture like some old wood-carving 
or some quaint old German engravin 



»£• 



The Cathedral belongs to kings and 




ST. MARTINS CHURCH. 



bishops, but St. Martin's is the beloved church of the poor; and the two will 
represent the old Catholic city of the Rhine. 

The famous Marie de' Medici, who died in solitude and poverty here in 
Cologne, is buried under the pavement of the Cathedral, and furnishes a text 
to many moralizers. " I went to see the slab that covers her heart," says one 
of this fraternity. " While I looked, a poor match-girl entered the church, 
set down her sulphurous basket on the heart of Marie de' Medici, said a 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 23 

prayer or two, and went out absolved. The interior was thronged with Christ's 
poor. The scene was a rare one. I looked around me in the golden altar- 
liijhts. I thought I was in a forest — a forest at sunset. The choir was 
almost filled with rising incense touched with the yellow flare of the tapers, 
and it seemed through the columns like a vista into the clouds. The grand 
stems of the arcades rose thickly crowded, only they fell into a natural order 
and alignment like the trunks of pines ; overhead they rolled to meet each 
other, breaking out everywhere into stiff, thickset needles and tufts of Gothic 
work. But this forest was not a solitude ; it was crowded with speechless 
figures thick as thoughts. And it was not silent or simply whisper-haunted 
like the real woods. It was all inflated and swelled and dazzled and broken 
with pomps of organ music that almost overcame the heart, and made the 
pillars seem to reel, and the painted windows to rock in the Jove-like storm." 
Beyond Cologne there is still a river Rhine, — but what is it? It is a 
broad canal, as dull as all canals are, and has even the further disadvantage 
that high dikes have been built along each side to protect the country from 
dangerous inundations. Its exit into the sea is facilitated by means of flood- 
gates, opened by machinery at ebb-tide, and closed when the tide returns. It 
is a stupendous piece of engineering, but hardly belongs to the department 
of the picturesque, and so, for us, the Rhine journey shall end at Cologne. 



THE CATHEDRAL OF COLOGNE. 

Cathedral of Cologne ! 
Memorial of eld, 
When German art excelled, 
Long grown with age so gray, 
Unfinished till this day. 
Cathedral of Cologne ! 

Cathedral of Cologne ! 

He who thy plan conceived 

Died ere it was achieved, 

And none to build the rest 

Have e'er their strength confessed, 

Cathedral of Cologne ! 



24 THE HEART OE EUROPE. 






Cathedral of Cologne ! 

The German sun declined 

The hill of time behind ; 

Who thought, in such dark hours, 

Of raising thy proud towers, 

Cathedral of Cologne ! 

Cathedral of Cologne ! 
The master's sketch and plan 
Lay hid from human scan ; 
But lately from the night 
The plan was brought to light, 
Cathedral of Cologne ! 

Cathedral of Cologne ! 
In vain was not revealed 
The plan that lay concealed ; 
And loud to us it cries, 
" Thy towers shall arise, 
Cathedral of Cologne ! " 



FlUEDRICH RiJCKERT. Tr. A. Baskerville. 




STRASBURG, THE BLACK FOREST, AND HEIDELBERG. 



STRASBURG cannot fail to be of the greatest interest to the traveller. 
Apart from the importance given it by the political events of the last 
few years, which have caused it to revert once more to Germany, the anti- 
quary in its glorious old cathedral, its quaint, mediaeval streets and houses ; 
the engineer in its immense fortifications, which the present owners are ren- 
dering still more formidable ; the political economist in its manufactories, and 
its position as the centre of four navigable water-ways of internal commerce, — 
are a few of the categories of tourists who will find in Strasburg food for 
observation, reflection, and digestion. 

The Cathedral, or Munster, is, as it well deserves to be, the special pride 
and boast of the inhabitants, who lavish on its preservation and cleanliness as 
much care as does a Dutch housewife on her kitchen utensils and doorstep. 
It is continually being washed, scrubbed, and dusted from top to bottom, and 
it is doubtful whether there is a square foot of its surface accessible to brush 
or broom that is not rubbed and polished every week, or rather every day, by 
the custodians of the building. 

On the platform of the lower tower, which is reached by three hundred 
and sixty steps, two watchmen are constantly on duty, to give notice, by means 
of a huge speaking-trumpet, of the first sign of fire in any part of the city. 



26 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



To keep them there, a little house has been built for them, and as a proof 
that one of them is always awake, he is compelled to ring the great bell 
every fifteen minutes ; and so, night and day, the city asleep or awake, the 
bell rings on. A queer existence this, spent at an elevation of about two 
hundred feet above the level of the rest of surrounding humanity, in ringing 
a big bell. In the winter months, at about four o'clock in the morning, with 
a stiff east wind blowing, we should fancy the position of the watchman snor- 
ing beside the stove in the house preferable to that of the one outside on 
duty. This platform is a favorite resort of the citizens in fine weather, and 
from it may be had a splendid view of the vast plain that extends from the 
Vosges to the Black Forest, and which is bisected by the Rhine. 




PLATFORM OF STRASBURG CATHEDRAL. 



Strasburg has the reputation of being partial to good living, and the plat- 
form of its cathedral tower has frequently been devoted to the purposes of 
conviviality and good cheer. Goethe writes that he often used to lunch up 
there; and a German lunch, even though a poet's, would pass very well for 
a substantial dinner with any other people. An inscription on the tower 
states that in 1S42 the members of the Scientific Congress then sitting at 
Strasburg were invited by the city fathers to a grand banquet given on the 
platform. How the members of the congress got down the three hundred 
and sixty steps, after the conclusion of the banquet, the inscription omits to 
relate. 

It would require a volume adequately to describe the Miinster, of which 




iTRASBURG CATHEDRAL. 



HIE HEART OF EUROPE. 29 

the accompanying engraving gives a better general idea than words could 
do. We will therefore confine ourselves to stating that this splendid struc- 
ture, justly classed among the most magnificent examples of Gothic archi- 
tecture that exist, was the work of Erwin of Steinbach, a sketch of whose 
statue we give at the head of the chapter, and was begun in 1015 and fin- 
ished in 1601. After the death of Erwin, the work was continued by his son 
and his daughter Sabina, and completed by John Stultz of Cologne 




ANCIENT HOUSES IN STRASBURG 



The spire is remarkable for being the highest in the world except that of 
Cologne Cathedral, standing four hundred and sixty-six feet from the level of the 
cathedral floor,- twenty-five feet higher than the pyramid of Cheops at Cairo. 

It is a masterpiece of taste and skill, built of hewn stone cut with such 
delicate nicety as to give it at a distance the appearance of lace, and com- 
bining the most elegant symmetry of parts with the most perfect solidity 



3° 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



The magnificent panorama to be viewed from the top will well repay the toil 
and danger of the ascent, which requires considerable nerve and steadiness of 
head. The stone-work is so very open, that, in the case of a sudden attack of 
giddiness or the slipping of the foot, the body might pass entirely through, — 
an accident which has happened several times. 




STREET IN STRASBURG. 



The interior of the Cathedral is very rich in stained glass, but the object 
which excites the greatest curiosity is its world-renowned clock, invented three 
hundred years ago. This clock must be visited at noon precisely, that being 
the only hour out of the twenty-four when all the different figures make their 
exits and their entrances. 

Strasburg still bears in many of its streets the stamp of the Middle Ages. 




A VILLAGE IN THE BLACK FOREST. 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



33 



Few wooden houses are still to be seen, but many have the upper stories 
overhanging the lower, causing them to approach, as they ascend, the houses 
on the opposite side of the way. Some modern houses are built of the pink 
stone of the Vosges Mountains. The singular anil remarkably high, sloping 
roofs, having three, four, and more floors, to which they serve as front walls 
as well as covering, seem constructed on a principle diametrically opposed 
to the walls that support them, and are as shy and retiring as the lower 
and more aristocratic portion of the house is forward and intrusive. The 
motive of this strange style of 
architecture can only be attributed 
to the law of compensation, or to 
a rooted objection to the perpen- 
dicular. Some consider these roofs 
ornamental, and a fine finish to 
the building. They are certainly 
picturesque, to which effect the 
large and numerous chimneys add 
a great deal. As if the many- 
storied roofs and monumental chim- 
neys did not suffice to finish off 
the tops of the buildings, the storks, 
almost as much an institution of 
Strasburg as its Minister, put a 
crowning touch, by building their 
nests on the highest points and 
chimneys. 

The storks arrive every spring, 
and depart in the fall with their 
young, to return again, neither in- ST0RKS NEST IN strasburg. 

creased nor diminished in numbers. What becomes of the surplus population 
of storks is a subject for theory. The building of a nest upon a house by 
a pair of storks is considered as a presage of good fortune to the inmates, 
and a man would suffer great inconvenience rather than drive away the tute- 
lary fowl. One gentleman, to our own knowledge, gave up the use of one 
of his rooms during the winter rather than destroy a nest which two storks 
had built right over the aperture of his chimney, thus preventing his making 
a fire. 




34 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 




THE NATIONAL GATE. 



During the progress of the works on the fortifications recently executed 
by the Prussians, one of the historical monuments of Strasburg, the National 
Gate, sometimes called the White Gate, opening on to the road to Muhl- 
housen, was demolished. 

Strasburg is a city of great antiquity, and most probably existed before 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 35 

the Romans. It assumed the name of Strateburguen in the sixth century. 
On the first partition of the Frankish territory it was included in the king- 
dom of Austria, and on the second in Lorraine. In the tenth century it 
belonged to the German emperors, and subsequently became a free city of 
the empire, which it continued to be till 16S1, when it was taken possession 
of by Louis XIV., and finally annexed to France. 

The remarkable events of its recent history are too much to the honor 
of the noble and unfortunate city not to merit a brief account. 

Shortly after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war, in August, 1870, 
and following the disastrous capitulation of the Emperor Napoleon with his 
army at Sedan, Strasburg was invested by a Cxerman force of from sixty 
to seventy thousand men, under General Werder, who summoned the com- 
mandant, the gallant General Uhrich, to surrender, threatening a bombardment 
in case of refusal. General Uhrich peremptorily refused, although the city 
was poorly provided for defence, and had but a garrison of seventeen thou- 
sand men. 

On the 19th of August the bombardment was commenced, and continued 
without intermission until the 28th of September, when, after a most heroic 
defence, the French capitulated. 

Crossing the Rhine by the bridge of Kehl, we proceeded at once to 
Achern, a delightfully fresh, clean town in miniature, that at once claimed our 
sympathy and caused us to regret that all cities are not built in the same 
style, certainly preferable for taste and comfort to the costly piles of stone 
which make our large capitals. How silent, how spotlessly clean ! 

The houses, their fronts covered with vines and their window-sills filled 
with flowers, were so silent, that they looked like the abodes of folks who 
had been buried for the last hundred years in the deepest slumber. 

After a time we perceived a human figure at the end of the street, slowly 
advancing towards us, and clad in a black felt hat with a broad brim, long, 
loose coat of blue stuff lined with unbleached linen, red waistcoat with multi- 
tudinous brass buttons, gray pants, and heavy shoes without buckles. His 
face is good-natured, broad, and large of feature, and his healthy, ruddy com- 
plexion shows he indulges largely in milk and but little in alcoholic stimulants. 
He is an inhabitant of the mountains or the upper valleys, and proves to 
us that we are within an hour's walk of the Black Forest. Nearly every 
house in this pretty little town stands in its own garden, which in some cases 



36 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 




1, i 1 - ; _ > 



IIIIIHP 



VALLEY OF LIERBACH 



is surrounded by railings, in others entirely open. The houses are of the 
invariable type of the German dwelling-place, and may be described as a frame- 
work of timber, the spaces of which are filled in with plaster, brick, or stone, 
according to the locality. The beams are left uncovered and unpainted, and 
thus the manner of building is plainly visible. It is, in fact, the style known 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 37 

to us as the Elizabethan, and still to be found in many old houses in Eng- 
land as well as in Germany. The geometrical figures formed by the beams 
in the wall, the high, sloping roofs, the gables towards the street, the old- 
fashioned windows with the small panes of glass set in lead, all combine to 
remind us of a painting or a scene on the stage. We own to some dis- 
appointment when, on our arrival, a troop of peasants did not emerge from 
these cottages in very short and full skirts, or very baggy breeches of striking 
colors, ranee themselves in a semicircle around us, and break into a chorus 
indicative of welcome, the happiness of their particular mode of life, or any 
other song, unintelligible as such choruses generally are. 

On one occasion we happened to enter Achern on a market day. We 
found several hundred peasants drawn up in a line in two ranks, standing 
and motionless. Each one of them had in his hand or at his feet a bas- 
ketful of provisions ; this one fruits, that vegetables ; one ropes of onions, 
another strings of thrushes. It was an appetizing medley of green peas and 
partridges, carrots and pears, artichokes and woodcocks. The purchasers, en- 
ticed by all this display of edibles, passed between the double row of venders, 
but no one among them spoke more than another. Monosyllables formed the 
entire conversation. 

Achern is much visited by tourists on their way to the Black Forest 
from France. Here is to be seen the obelisk erected by France to the memory 
of the illustrious Turenne, on the spot where he fell, on the eve of another 
victory. 

We will here consider for a moment the general aspect and position of 
the Schwartzwald, or Black Forest. It stands in the elbow formed by the 
Rhine in its course from Schaffhauscn to Basle, and from thence to Mann- 
heim, and is bounded by the plain that borders the river. The Neckar bounds 
it on the north, while on the east it is limited by the upper part of the same 
river, and by an imaginary line drawn from the source of the Neckar to 
Schaffhauscn. The greatest length of this forest and mountain is forty-five 
leagues, and its width at the narrowest part is sixteen leagues. 

The Black Forest owes its gloomy name to the dark aspect of its peaks 
and slopes, shadowed by the sombre foliage of majestic pine-trees. Under 
the brightest sun and at noonday they still retain their depth of shadow ; 
but when the sky is overcast, they get blacker still, and appear of so dense 
a hue as to justify the epithet, "as dark as Erebus." 



38 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 




RUINS OF THE ABBEY OF ALLERHEILIGEN. 



One of the most striking features of the Black Forest is the Kaiserstuhl, 
or Emperor's Throne, an isolated mountain that rises on the banks of the 
Rhine, just opposite to Freiburg. The highlands are surrounded by a plain 
which separates them from the adjacent mountain chain, and are, strange to 
say, of a geological formation distinct from their neighbors. 




THE VALLEY OF HELL 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



41 



With all its grand and romantic beauty, the Kaiserstuhl is but a depen- 
dency of the Black Forest, which domineers over it by its imposing- size, and 
its high valleys where the mountain torrents dash and roar, and also out- 
shines it by the superior grandeur of its landscapes. 



'■";'. ,i,wj'i ! ! a ! 1 




CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL. 



Winter is severe in these elevated spots, and begins early. Snow falls 
in October, and henceforth communication becomes difficult and often danger- 
ous ; but as soon as spring releases the earth from the icy fetters of winter, 
visitors flock into the three cantons of the Black Forest. The group of the 
Kniebis is perhaps the most favorite resort, possessing as it does many min- 
eral springs, which, beside attracting a few invalids, furnish an excuse for the 
world of fashion to meet there. It is to this that Baden-Baden, situated 



42 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



in a valley formerly wild and barbarous, owes its celebrity, and has become 
a centre of civilization and luxury. 

At a little distance from Baden the road skirts the village and railroad 
station of Oos, crossing the pretty single line of rails that branches off the 
main track from Freiburg to Heidelberg. 




CAVE AND CASCADE OF EDELFRAUENGRABE. 



• This line looks as though it had been made for the toy of one of those 
princelings of whom there are not a few in Germany. It looks so pretty, 
so cool, so quiet, so brightly polished, so well arranged, with its green and 
trim hedges on either side, its cottages trellised with vines and hops, — 
serving as shelter for the workmen, — and its gates emblazoned with yellow 
and red, — or and gules, as the heralds would say, — that it does exactly 




THE CITY AND CATHEDRAL AT FREIBURG. 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 45 

resemble one of those attractive toys manufactured at Nuremberg. Jokers 
affirm that of evenings the line is packed up in boxes and taken out again 
for use in the morning. When it rains, the people about are in great trouble. 
Rain spoils the appearance of their pet road. 

From Achern we proceeded at a leisurely pace to Ottenhoefen, by an om- 
nibus of which the panels were yellow, the curtains yellow, and the postilion 
was attired in yellow. Ottenhoefen, whose aspect is similar to Achern, and 
pleased us as much, is a good central point for several delightful excursions. 
One of these, and the nearest, is to the district of Gottschlaeg, where are the 
lovely and romantic falls of Edelfrauengrabe. (See page 42.) 

Half an hour suffices to reach the bottom of the gorge where we first 
find these cascades. As the valley suddenly narrows, the waters, that, when 
we first met them, rippled almost silently over their bed of pebbles, now begin 
to make themselves heard, and as we ascend, the noise increases, until, in 
their onward course, the waters bound, dash, roar, and spring madly from 
ledge to ledge, in a sheet of snow-white foam. 

The gorge soon becomes uninhabitable, — a narrow defile, bordered on 
either side by perpendicular rocks. A path, running now on the right, now 
on the left of the torrent, according to the disposition of the ground, leads 
us to the first cascade, a fall of some ten or twelve feet. The water does 
not fall in one mass, but part of it dashes down an inclined plane, broken 
here and there by jutting rocks into a sheet of spray. The traveller can 
enjoy the view of all of the seventeen cascades, while proceeding along the 
banks of the torrent in safety and comfort. The most celebrated of these 
cascades is the one which falls in front of a small grotto, which can be en- 
tered, and where a stone offers a seat to the tired traveller. A veil of water- 
drops falls like a curtain over the orifice, and opposite it the torrent beats 
madly against the impassive rocks in which they have gradually scooped out 
a bay, increasing the sinuosity of the stream. 

After passing the last fall, we enter the valley of Gottschlaeg, one of 
those high valleys whose wondrous charm and exquisite beauty seem enhanced 
by the long and arduous journey required to reach them. The delicious, calm, 
and peaceful aspect combines with the length of the road just gone over to 
convey the impression of one's being effectually cut off from the ordinary trials 
and troubles of life, and that one has at length reached that haven of rest 
frequently so ardently longed for. It is not to be imagined that these high- 



46 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



lands are deserted or uninhabited deserts. In spite of the extremely wild, 
savage scenery, of which the engraving of the Valley of Hell (see page 41) 
gives a better idea than could any words, we find up here scattered cottages, 
verdant meadows, fields in a high state of culture, and grazing cattle tended 
by the country lads, whose merry "jodels" awaken the echoes of the neigh- 
boring mountains. 




MARKET-PLACE AT SCHAFFHAUSEN. 



An excursion full of interest took us from Ottenhoefen to the Ruins of 
the Abbey of Allerheiligen, or All Saints, beautifully situated on the banks 
of the Lierbach, a stream which takes its rise on the western slope of the 
Hornisgrinde, and turns sharply to the southward. 

This Abbey, which was indebted for its foundation to the Duchess Uta 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



47 



von Schauenberg, according to tradition owed its situation to an ass. The 
duchess determined to found an abbey, but, undecided as to the site, she 
ordered the necessary funds to be placed on the back of an ass, declaring 
that where the animal should stop there she would build. The donkey, ac- 
cordingly, driven from the castle-gates, and followed at a distance by some 
servants, proceeded over hill and dale till it reached the Sohlberg, where it 
struck the ground with its fore foot, causing a spring to gush up immedi- 
ately. After quenching its thirst at this miraculous spring, the ass resumed 



"■ 




PEASANTS HOUSE IN THE BLACK FOREST. 



its march till it came to a beautiful valley, where it immediately freed itself of 
its load, and indulged in a roll on the grass. On this spot work was at once 
begun in the year 1192, and two years after the monastery reared its spires 
and gables completed. 

It could not have been then a very important edifice, as its first inhabi- 
tants consisted only of a prior and five monks belonging to the Austin friars. 
The liberality of the faithful soon increased the resources of the monastery, 
which was not long in becoming one of the wealthiest in the country. Col- 



4 8 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



lecting a good library, and devoting themselves to study, the monks soon 
established a school which obtained a high reputation. In 1657 tne monastery 
was raised to the rank of an abbey, and was finally suppressed in 1802, when 
all ecclesiastical property was secularized. The last superior, Wilhelm Fischer, 
retired to Lautenbach, and died at Oberkirch, his native place, in 1824. 

From Lautenbach a journey of about three quarters of an hour along 
the banks of the Rench, and at the foot of the hills, brought us to the small 
trading and manufacturing town of Oberkirch, where a large market is held 




OBERKIRCH. 



every week. In the neighborhood are the ruins of the castle of Schauenberg. 
The group of mountains towered over by the Feldberg can be entered from 
all sides. We followed the course of the Wiese, a torrent that pours its 
waters into the Rhine in the territory of Basle, while it takes its rise in the 
tops of the highest mountains. 

The sun was sinking towards the horizon when we left the city of Basle 
on our way to Schopfheim, a small town containing many important manu- 
factories, where we passed the night. From there, two days' walking brought 




SIDE ENTRANCE TO FREIBURG CATHEDRAL. 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



51 




INTERIOR OF A TOWN IN THE SIMONSWALD. 



us to the town of Todtenau, the " Field of the Dead," a lively name for 
an important manufacturing place. 

From here we took a guide to ascend the Feldberg, the highest moun- 
tain in the Black Forest, forty-six hundred and fifty feet (French measure) 
above the level of the sea. Starting at six o'clock in the morning, we reached 



52 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 




HEIDELBERG CASTLE VIEWED FROM THE TERRACE. 



the summit of the mountain while it was yet enveloped in mist. After a 
short time this gradually disappeared, rolling back slowly like a curtain, and 
revealing by degrees the most extended and magnificent panorama. Not only 
could we see the whole range of the mountains of the Black Forest around 
us, but beyond that numerous army of giants in their gloomy attire we could 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



53 




INTERIOR OF HEIDELBERG CASTLE. 



perceive in the distance, like huge white spectres, the snowy summits of the 
Alps, which we could distinguish from the Gloernisch on the east to Mont 
Blanc on the west. The panorama before our eyes was sixty leagues in 
diameter. 

Turning now to the north, our eyes were met by another spectacle, which, 



54 THE HEART OF EUROPE. 

although less extensive and marvellous than the preceding, yet filled the mind 
with awe. Immediately beneath our feet the Valley of Hell opened like a 
vast abyss. Beyond this profound and gloomy gorge, the Kandel, the Horn- 
berg, the Hunensedel, and other heights too numerous to enumerate, reared 

their lofty heads. 

We descended pretty rapidly, and soon reached the wild glen where lies 
the Feldsee, a small circular lake of gloomy aspect. 

Our road now lay through a majestic forest, wherein, after an hour and 
a half's walk, we found a rustic inn, affording us the rest and refreshment we 
considered we had fairly earned. Here our guide left us, the rest of our 
road offering no difficulties. 

The most frequented of the roads which cross transversely the mountain 
group of the Feldberg is that which goes through the valley running from 
Freiburg to Schaffhausen, and which forms a natural highway of commerce. 
Freiburg was the depot for all goods coming from Switzerland and Italy, while 
Schaffhausen stored in its warehouses those goods coming from Alsace, the 
Rhenish Provinces, the Low Countries, and France. Boats coming from Lake 
Constance had to unload at the wharves of Schaffhausen, as the falls of the 
Rhine are only' two miles off. 

Freiburg (see page 43) is supposed to have been founded early in the 
twelfth century by Berthold III., Duke of Zaeringen, whose brother and suc- 
cessor, Conrad, laid the foundations of the Cathedral. Of the edifice due to 
his piety, nothing now remains but the Byzantine choir and transept. 

The present edifice, completed in 1513, is considered one of the finest 
and most perfect specimens of Gothic architecture in Germany. The Lateral 
Porch recalls the atrium or antechamber occupied by the catechumens of the 
early church, during the religious ceremonies at which they were not entitled 
to be present. It is lavishly adorned with statues in the interior, and presents 
a splendid example of the art of the period. 

The most remarkable portion of the Cathedral is its immense steeple, 
reaching to the height of three hundred and fifty-six feet above the ground. 
The tower, which it crowns, forms the western entry. After passing the belfry, 
in our ascent we come to an octagonal floor, brilliantly lighted by eight enor- 
mous windows, and having above it, with no intervening ceiling, a stupen- 
dous cone, that seems to extend beyond our range of vision. 

The interior of this steeple is entirely hollow,- and -we stand beneath a 




^^J f/foiSA^p—p. 



PALACE OF OTHO HENRI AT HEIDELBERG. 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



57 




CASTLE OF UNNOTH. 



diaphanous obelisk one hundred and fifty feet high, with richly carved walls 
of open work. Perspective lends its illusion to the real extent of this won- 
derful c/icf-d'cvuvre of the builder, which appears to reach beyond the clouds 
and penetrate the skies. 

The interior of the Cathedral is well worthy of its admirable crown ; its 



58 THE HEART OF EUROPE. 

magnificent stained-glass windows have been well preserved, and some of them 
bear the arms and names of Charles V., of his brother Ferdinand, and of 
Maximilian II. It contains some fine paintings of Baldung, Grim, and of 
Holbein the younger. The treasury is filled to overflowing with reliqua- 
ries, remonstrances, silver and gold statues of saints, and other ecclesiastical 
jewelry. 

Schaffhausen (see page 46) is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, 
about two miles above the falls. It owes its origin to the huts and sheds 
{Schiffkausen) built to store the goods unloaded from the boats that could pro- 
ceed no farther on account of the rapids. It is distinguished particularly for 
its antique houses, which are centuries old. Those that surround the market- 
place are peculiarly interesting and picturesque on account of their turrets, 
the singular conformation of their roofs, and their projecting bays and cham- 
bers. The fountain in the market-place (see page 46), guarded as it were 
by a warrior with sword and shield, dates from the Renaissance. 

The Castle of Munnoth, sometimes called Unnoth, erected in 1564, is a 
singular specimen of fortification. Its form was proposed by Albrecht Diirer. 
It is provided with bomb-proof casemates, and the walls of its towers are 
eighteen feet thick. A walk to the promenade of Fasistaub enabled us to 
enjoy a glorious view of the Rhine. 

After admiring the ruins of the old abbey and of its guardian fortress, at 
Waldkirch, we left the valley at Bleibach, and turning to the right, entered 
another valley that led us through three villages, called Lower, Middle, and 
Upper Simonswald (see page 51), where we had an opportunity of admiring 
the costumes of the women. The prevailing tints of these were decidedly 
loud, scarlet being the favorite for skirts and stockings, and green for the 
aprons. What most attracted our attention was the head-dresses of the women. 
Over a close-fitting cap of black or red was worn a straw hat, stained and 
varnished, and in the form of a very elongated stove-pipe, with the brim pulled 
down over the ears. The few ladies who did not patronize this elegant coiffure 
wore red caps profusely ornamented with ribbons of scarlet, blue, or green. 

Heilbronn is an old free city, having preserved all its ancient houses and 
monuments, with their characteristic high-pointed gables, windows with multi- 
tudinous and diminutive panes, and upper stories overhanging the low r er. A 
most interesting monument in Heilbronn is the tower of an old fortress of 
which it was formerly the donjon-keep. It is called the Tower of Goetz, from 




'S^^T&JlOOP ' 



THE PALACE OF FREDERIC IV. AT HEIDELBERG. 



THE HEART OE EUROPE. 61 

the fact of that celebrated warrior having been confined there for a short 
time. Goetz von Berlichingen, called "of the iron hand," was elected, much 
against his will, leader of the peasants who revolted in 1526, and in one of 
his battles had his left hand cut off by a grape-shot. 




TOWER OF GOETZ 



Recovering after a severe sickness from his wound, he cot a skilful 
armorer to make him a hand of steel which enabled him to continue his 
warrior life. His iron hand is still preserved in the little town of Jaxthausen, 
near Berlichingen. It was six o'clock, on a lovely morning, that we went 
on board the steamer which was to take us down the Neckar to Heidelberg, 
where we arrived at half an hour after noon. 

The banks of the river, low where we started, gradually became higher, 



62 



THE HEART OE EUROPE. 




RUINS OF A CASTLE AT HEIDELBERG. 



and finally presented a panorama, — a gallery of abrupt peaks, on which stand 
castles in what seemed endless succession. Castles ruined and abandoned, 
castles restored and inhabited, are on both banks of the river, and have at- 
tached to them as many legends and histories as would fill a volume for each. 
The castles of Neckarsteinach are a good specimen of these feudal towers, 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



63 




ENTRANCE TO HEIDELBERG CASTLE. 



which, having outlived their usefulness, and being gilded over by the romance 
with which time covers all things, are now beautiful features in a lovely land- 
scape, but must have been a fearful infliction to the inhabitants of the country 



64 THE HEART OF EUROPE. 

that had no castles, when might alone was right, and the central power was 
little better than mythical. 

The great curiosity of the town is its Castle (see page 52), built on a 
hill on its outskirts, and a ruin, not from the attacks of time, but in conse- 
quence of the devastations of the French by order of Louis XIV., who claimed 
the Palatinate in the name of his sister-in-law, the princess palatine. His 
marshal, De Duras, laid siege to Heidelberg in 1688, and it capitulated on 
the 24th of October of that year. The chapel is of the fourteenth century ; 
the round tower, in which was the library, dates from 1555, and the palace 
of Otho Henri was begun the year following. The palace of Frederic IV. 
(see page 59) was built between the years 1601 and 1607. The fallen tower 
(see page 62) was constructed in 1455, and so hard had the cement become 
in 1689, when Me'lac blew it up, that, after several attempts, all he could do 
was to cause it to split right in halves, one portion remaining defiantly erect, 
the other falling in one solid mass on its side, as it still remains, and bids 
fair to remain for many centuries to come. 

There are two entrances to the castle, one facing the Neckar, the other 
facing the mountains. Passing through the first of these (see page 52), we 
reach a terrace, from whence we enjoy a splendid view of the whole city, 
"of the heights which encircle it, and of the vast plain watered by the Rhine. 
Turning round, we see the elegant front of the palace of Frederic IV., which, 
although built in the early part of the sixteenth century, would be easily taken 
for a work of the Renaissance. The windows are mullioned, and between 
them are niches each of which contains a statue, while the roof is heavily 
curbed in the style of Mansard. The windows of the first story have two 
arches, with a rose window over them. The interior of the palace (see page 
53) is in the same style. The other facade is exactly similar to the one we 
have described. It has still all its statues, but their dilapidated condition is 
sad to witness. 

The city of Heidelberg itself has been too often sacked and destroyed to 
offer any monuments worthy of note. Its world-known university, with its 
beer-drinking and duel-loving students, and its enormous and apparently im- 
mortal tun, are sufficient to keep up its reputation in the future, as they have 
hitherto done in the past, even if the beauty of its site and the unrivalled 
loveliness of its surroundings should ever fail to attract visitors from all parts 
of the world. 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 65 



THE KAISER'S FEAST. 

Louis, Emperor of Germany, having put his brother, the Palsgrave Rodolphus, under the ban of the empire (in 
the twelfth century), that unfortunate prince fled to England, where he died in neglect and poverty. "After his decease 
his mother, Matilda, privately invited his children to return to Germany ; and by her mediation, durin°- a season of 
festivity, when Louis kept wassail in the Castle of Heidelberg, the family of his brother presented themselves before him 
in the garb of suppliants, imploring pity and forgiveness. To this appeal the victor softened."— Miss Benger's Memoirs 
of the Queen of Bohemia. 

The Kaiser feasted in his hall, 

The red wine mantled high ; 
Banners were trembling on the wall, 

To the peals of minstrelsy : 
And many a gleam and sparkle came 

From the armor hung around, 
As it caught the glance of the torch's flame, 

Or the hearth with pine boughs crowned. 

Why fell there silence on the chord 

Beneath the harper's hand ? 
And suddenly, from that rich board, 

Why rose the wassail-band ? 
The strings were hushed, — the knights made way 

For the queenly mother's tread, 
As up the hall, in dark array, 

Two fair-haired boys she led. 

She led them e'en to the Kaiser's place, 

And still before him stood ; 
Till with strange wonder o'er his face 

Flushed the proud warrior-blood : 
And " Speak, my mother ! speak ! " he cried, 

" Wherefore this mourning vest ? 
And the clinging children by thy side, 

In weeds of sadness drest ? " 

" Well may a mourning vest be mine, 

And theirs, my son, my son ! 
Look on the features of thy line 

In each fair little one ! 
Though grief awhile within their eyes 

Hath tamed the dancing glee, 
Yet there thine own quick spirit lies, — 

Thy brother's children see ! 



66 THE HEART OF EUROPE. 

"And where is he, thy brother, where? 

He, in thy home that grew, 
And smiling, with his sunny hair, 

Ever to greet thee flew ? 
How would his arms thy neck entwine, 

His fond lips press thy brow ! 
My son! O, call these orphans thine, — 

Thou hast no brother now ! 

"What! from their gentle eyes doth naught 

Speak of thy childhood's hours, 
And smite thee with a tender thought 

Of thy dead father's towers ? 
Kind was thy boyish heart and true, 

When reared together there, 
Through the old woods like fawns ye flew, — 

Where is thy brother — where? 

" Well didst thou love him then, and he 

Still at thy side was seen ! 
How is it that such things can be 

As though they ne'er had been? 
Evil was this world's breath, which came 

Between the good and brave! 
Now must the tears of grief and shame 

Be offered to the grave. 

"And let them, let them there be poured! 

Though all unfelt below, 
Thine own wrung heart, to love restored, 

Shall soften as they flow. 
O, death is mighty to make peace ; 

Now bid his work be done ! 
So many an inward strife shall cease, — 

Take, take these babes, my son ! " 

His eye was dimmed, — the strong man shook 

With feelings long suppressed ; 
Up in his arms the boys he took, 

And strained them to his breast. 
And a shout from all in the royal hall 

Burst forth to hail the sight ; 
And eyes were wet, midst the brave that met 

At the Kaiser's feast that night. 

Felicia Hemans. 




BAVARIA AND THE TYROL. 



NUREMBERG. 

In the valley of the Pegnitz, where across broad meadow- 
lands 

Rise the blue Franconian mountains, Nuremberg, the ancient, 
stands. 

Quaint old town of toil and traffic, quaint old town of art 






and song, 
Memories haunt thy pointed gables, like the rooks that 
round them throne;: 



Memories of the Middle Ages, when the emperors, rough and bold, 
Had their dwelling in thy castle, time-defying, centuries old ; 

And thy brave and thrifty burghers boasted, in their uncouth rhyme, 
That their great imperial city stretched its hand through every clime. 



68 THE HEART OF EUROPE. 

Here, when art was still religion, with a simple, reverent heart, 
Lived and labored Albrecht Diirer, the Evangelist of Art ; 

Emigravit is the inscription on the tombstone where he lies ; 
Dead he is not, but departed, — for the artist never dies. 

Here Hans Sachs, the cobbler-poet, laureate of the gentle craft, 
Wisest of the Twelve Wise Masters, in huge folios sang and laughed. 

Vanished is the ancient splendor, and before my dreamy eye 
Wave these mingled shapes and shadows, like a faded tapestry. 

Not thy Councils, not thy Kaisers, win for thee the world's regard ; 
But thy painter, Albrecht Diirer, and Hans Sachs thy cobbler-bard. 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 



WE are now in Nuremberg, a city of the Middle Ages ; filled with 
works of art of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, which we already 
know sufficiently by description and engravings not to be exposed to very 
great deceptions. We have, moreover, a kind of filial respect for the country 
of so many illustrious men, artists, travellers, poets, savans, with whom we 
have always sympathized : two especially we esteem and honor, — Martin 
Behaim, the celebrated geographer, the inventor of the terrestrial globe of 
1 49 1, and Albert Diirer, the glory of the German school, the master and 
patron of designers on wood. 

" Dear reader," says Hoffman, " has thy heart never beaten with mournful 
emotion when thine eye ranged over a city where the magnificent monuments 
of German art relate, as with eloquent tongues, the brilliancy, the pious perse- 
verance, and the real grandeur of times past? Does it not seem to thee then 
that thou art penetrating into an abandoned abode ? Thou art expecting to 
see one of the old inhabitants appear, and advance to welcome thee with hos- 
pitable cordiality, but in vain : the ever-rapid wheel of time has borne away 
ancient generations ; the past is no more ; the present life arrests and encom- 
passes thee on all sides." 

Wandering a short distance from our hotel, we find ourselves before St. 
Sebald, a church which does not impress us by its large proportions. It is, in 
architectural design, a commingling of the Roman and Gothic. The two towers 




MARKET-PLACE, NUREMBERG. 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



7' 



which adorn it are surmounted by steeples which date from the close of the 
fifteenth century. They are not remarkable for their airiness and grace, and 
contrast poorly with the far-famed spires of Antwerp and Strasburg. 

From the wall of the presbytery of St. Sebald, and extending the height 
of the first story, is an octagonal projection which appears as if it were a 
part of the chapel. Resting on a pillar, crowned by a moulded cornice and 
ornamented with foliage, it forms a beautiful architectural design. Six figures 
of angels are sculptured at the angles. 
In the framework beneath the windows, 
five bas-reliefs represent events in the 
life of the Virgin Mary ; the space be- 
tween the top of the windows and the 
roof is separated by a garland of exqui- 
sitely carved foliage, and in the inter- 
vening space, between the arch of the 
windows and the spires, other angels are 
seen bearing pennons. The whole com- 
position, though somewhat amusing, is 
truly an exquisite piece of art. It is 
said to have been executed about the 
year 131 8. 

On the northern side of the edifice 
is the Bride's Door (see page 72), a work- 
which is attributed to the fifteenth cen- 
tury. The beauty of the design of this 
doorway holds our attention, and delights 
us with its various carvings. From it 
fall festoons of richly carved stone-work : 
one side is adorned with a statue of the 
Virgin, while on the other appears St. 
Sebald, bearing in his hand a model of 
the church. Beneath are ranged at the 
right the five wise virgins, while on the left their foolish sisters are standing. 
Neither the wise nor the foolish virgins will bear close inspection, for, unfor- 
tunately, they all have the same cast of features ; they must all have been 
made from one model. One woman exactly like another, be she wise or 




THE CHOIR OF ST. SEBALD. 



72 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



HJUL 



foolish, one soon gets tired of admiring ; but when it comes to gazing at ten, 
it is quite monotonous. 

Soon we arrive at the great market-place, and stand before the Church 
of the Virgin of Notre Dame, or the Frauenkirche. This church at once 
attracts our attention : completed in 1361, it occupies the site of an ancient 
Jewish synagogue, which was destroyed during the persecutions which that 
race at one time suffered. The facade of the Frauenkirche is of rich Gothic. 
It was constructed and adorned by the same architects that erected "the Beau- 
tiful Fountain," which is also seen in our engraving ; and Charles V. made it 

his imperial chapel, and designated it as 
the " Hall of Our Lady." The porch, 
covered with elaborate carvings, is sur- 
mounted with a pretty chapel, the turret 
and clock of which were adorned by 
Krafft. In former days the peasants 
who came from the country, bringing 
their produce to the market, used to 
place their children before this clock, to 
see the seven electors turn round the 
Emperor Charles IV. ; it was as good 
as a play, and the little ones enjoyed 
it hugely ; but, little by little, the old 
mechanism rusted out, and now the 
wheels are silent, and the clock, and the 
political epoch it represented, have be- 
come things of the past ; the electors 
have wearied of turning, and the people 
have wearied of seeing them turn. 
Crossing the Panierplatz, we stand before the Burg, or Imperial Castle, 
one of the features of Nuremberg, which gives to the otherwise youthful- 
looking town the appearance of antiquity. It was founded in the early part 
of the eleventh century by the Emperor Conrad II., and enlarged and extended 
through the exertions of Frederic Barbarossa. 

We cannot but feel regret on leaving a city which is ornamented so 
richly with public and private buildings, so rich in its historical associations 
and art treasures, and so flourishing in its trade and manufactures. 




THE BRIDE'S DOOR. 




THE WIMBACH RAVINE. 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



75 



Soon we are at Ratisbon, at an early period a famous commercial city, 
but Italian rivals were suffered to steal away its trade ; and its sole claim 
to importance remained in the fact that it was the favorite, and finally the 
permanent place of assembly for the Imperial Diet. Hither came the emperor 




PORCH OF THE CHURCH OF THE VIRGIN. 



with his family and train ; the great princes and counts of the empire, each 
with his retainers ; the ambassadors from foreign courts, with novel forms of 
luxury and display. 

Too many travellers pass Ratisbon by as a sombre and decayed old place ; 
and yet, to the lover of history, its very gloom and dilapidation have a sin- 
gular charm. It is a place haunted by the ghost of that historic anomaly, 
the old German Empire, which, beginning in the year 800 with Charlemagne, 



7 6 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



and claiming to be the lawful successor of the great Roman Empire of the 
world, comes down through mediaeval and modern history, at first a mighty 
power overmastering even the Pope, at last having lost its hold upon the 
German countries themselves, till it dies out, of sheer inanition, at the begin- 
ning of the present century. 

The old town-house is also shown, and the hall where the sessions of the 
Diet were held ; and prison-cells deep underground, — one a box of stone, six 
feet in length and the same in height and breadth, where one of Wallenstein's 
free riders was held a captive fifteen weeks, till they led him out to die in the 
open square. And so, in light and shade, we get a picture of mediaeval life, 
in seeing Ratisbon. 




A STREET IN RATISBON. 



THE TORTURE CHAMBER AT RATISBON. 



Down the broad, imperial Danube, 
As its wandering waters guide, 

Past the mountains and the meadows, 
Winding with the stream, we glide. 

Ratisbon we leave behind us, 

Where the spires and gables throng, 

And the huge cathedral rises, 
Like a fortress, vast and strong. 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 77 

Close beside it stands the town-hall, 

With its massive tower, alone, 
Brooding o'er the dismal secret, 

Hidden in its heart of stone. 

There, beneath the old foundations, 

Lay the prisons of the state, 
Like the last abodes of vengeance, 

In the fabled realms of Late. 



There the dungeon clasped its victim, 
And a stupor chained his breath, 

Till the torture woke his senses, 
With a sharper touch than death. 



And the guide, with grim precision, 
Tells the dismal tale once more, 

Tells to living men the tortures 
Living men have borne before. 



As he speaks, the death-cold cavern 
With a sudden life-gush warms, 

And, once more, the Torture-Chamber 
With its murderous tenants swarms. 



There the careful leech sits patient, 
Watching face and hue and breath, 

Weighing life's fast-ebbing pulses 
With the heavier chance of death. 



Here, behind the heavy grating, 

Sits the scribe, with pen and scroll, 
Waiting till the giant terror 

Bursts the secrets of the soul ; 

Till the fearful tale of treason 

Lrom the shrieking lips is wrung, 
Or the final, false confession 

Quivers from the trembling tongue ! 

• • • • 

William Allen Butler. 



78 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



Quite a different impression is left on the mind by a visit to King Louis's 
Walhalla, or German Temple of Fame. Nothing could be more modern and 
more classic. The temple stands on a hill, two or three miles out of the 
city, overlooking the country and the Danube for many a mile. The exterior 
is a close imitation of the Parthenon, and is constructed of gray marble. 
Within, the building is of the Ionic order, — one superb hall one hundred 
and eighty feet long, fifty feet broad, and fifty-six feet high. The pavement 
is a mosaic of exquisitely polished marble ; to preserve its perfect polish, we 
are required to assume felt slippers outside our boots. The walls are lined 




THE WALHALLA. 



with marble, and the ceiling is very richly gilded and decorated. The illus- 
tration so perfectly represents the interior that further description is needless. 
The busts that are placed in rows along the walls are, as far as possible, 
likenesses of celebrated Germans whom King Louis deemed worthy of a place 
in his Temple of Fame. 

All about is solitude ; not a hamlet, not a single dwelling-house. The 
temple to the heroes of Germany rises alone on the bank of the German 
river. It is like a part of the magnificent nature which surrounds it. All 
Germany passes before it, going up or down the river, and a whole nation 
salutes, with heart and intellect, this holy place of the common Fatherland. 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



79 



Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is situated on the southerly side of an 
extensive plain. Over the river Isar, which flows by it, in 1158 Henry the 
Lion constructed a bridge, and erected a custom-house. Used originally as 
a depot for salt brought from Salzburg, the city has from that time gradually 
increased in population and in commercial prosperity. The ancient fortifica- 
tions have been torn down, the ditches filled up, and nearly all that related to 
the old city has given place to the necessities of the present day. 




INTERIOR OF THE WALHALLA. 



Munich is traversed by two principal streets, one of which, the Ludwig- 
strasse, is exceedingly beautiful. As we come to the end of this delightful 
drive, the road widens into a kind of square adorned with two fountains. We 
see before us the Siegesthor, or Triumphal Arch. It forms a most impressive 
entrance to Munich, and is also a fitting termination to one of its most noble 
thoroughfares. It was erected by Louis I. in honor of the Bavarian army. 
It is patterned after the Arch of Constantine at Rome, as was the arch in 



So 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



the Place Carrousel, at Paris, the only difference being that France has horses 
attached to its chariot, and soldiers between its columns, while Bavaria has its 
quadriga drawn by lions, and figures of Victory in place of soldiers. 

The masonry of the arch is said to surpass in solidity and beauty any- 
thing in Europe. It is embellished with medallions and bas-reliefs, executed 
in the beautiful white marble of Carrara and the Tyrol ; these represent the 
various provinces subject to Bavaria, and various incidents of war, and are all 
of a classical character. Eight winged Victories, four on either side of the 
arch, rise grandly above the Corinthian flowers, and, farther on, a field of wild 




STATUE OF BAVARIA. 



oats, in which the buttercups, rearing their little yellow heads in profusion, 
look like veritable buttons of gold. Behind the Glyptothek the shade of a 
beautiful grove of trees mingles harmoniously with the architectural lines : 
tall, graceful elms, and quite a thicket of lilacs, which are among the first to 
exhale their sweet perfumes on the renewal of spring. The birds sing in the 
branches of the trees, the radiant sun gilds the white marble of the pedi- 
ments, but no noise, no form, recalls Germany or modern life ; and if the 
sky is not the enchanting one of the East, this silence, these marbles, these 
columns, make one dream of art and of Greece. 

The Museum of Painting, a square, low building, only one story in 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



81 



height, without windows as seen from the outside, with a Greek portico of 
twelve Ionic columns, surmounted by a pediment which resembles all the 
Greek porticos in the world, is heavy and without character. The Glyptothek, 
better conceived, is more monumental, without, however, deserving any special 
praise. The Glyptothek is not rich in works of modern art. If we except 
one or two marbles of slight importance of Thorwaldsen, and of Canova, there 
is nothing more of the Renaissance. Everything in this museum has been 
very judiciously placed in chronological order, but, unfortunately, this arrange- 
ment has an unhappy gap of sixteen centuries, from the bust of Marcus 
Aurelius to that of King Louis. 

Roman art is represented by many antiques, none of great value ; but of 
Greek art there are inestimable gems, — an admirable Dying Niobe ; a Sleep- 







mamm, 



A V . ■ l II^". d TAA,. ' T - -I 



\ V £y m 



Ki^n 



&*£^? m>^8%Wmmd 



THE GLYPTOTHEK. 



ing Faun, which Belisarius, imprisoned in the castle of Saint-Angelo, threw, 
for want of other projectiles, upon the heads of the Goths, and which was 
found again, nine centuries later, at the bottom of the ditch ; finally, we 
observe the yEgina marbles, which would make in themselves the fortune of 
a museum. 

For the historian these marbles have an incomparable value. The artist, 
also, will admire their forms, already so much copied ; but all the reasonings 
of transcendent aesthetics will not prevent a feeling of repulsion at the sight 
of heads on which is sculptured, even on those of the dying, the same imbecile 



82 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



laugh. These marbles always create an interest in the mind of the archaeolo- 
gist ; this is why they have so great a success in Germany. The reasons 
which are given to make us accept these grimacing figures as true art gems, 
are the same which are pleaded for admiring the stiffness of the Egyptian 
statues, and the rude, unfashioned sculpture of the Middle Ages. 

The Pinacothek is one of the most valuable galleries of the world ; it 
contains five hundred and ninety-two large paintings, and six hundred and 
eighty-nine smaller ones. The Belvedere of Vienna has more, but many have 
been placed there to swell the number. Dresden alone, in all Germany, can 
compete with Munich in its treasures of art and beauty, and, with its Raphaels, 
rival it. 




THE PINACOTHEK. 



Let us go to Wilbad Kreuth, a Bavarian town, which will serve as a fair 
sample of the towns among the Bavarian mountains. It is summer time, and 
the fashionable denizens of Munich, the wealthy inhabitants of North Germany, 
and even the people who live in frigid Russia, have congregated here to 
enjoy the salubrity of the climate and the charm of the scenery. Here, in the 
hot days of July and August, the lovers of fashion and the seekers of health 
congregate, and pass their time in the various amusements which watering- 
places usually present. In the picture which we have, it is seen on our right, 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



8«J 




CHAMOIS. 



w 



hile on the left a broad, green plateau, with beautifully laid out gardens, 
extends, furnishing a cool and pleasant shade, while on all sides this beautiful 
valley is surrounded by mountains covered with dark foliage. 



86 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



Early in the sixteenth, possibly in the latter part of the fifteenth century, 
the place where the modern town or village now stands was owned by the 
Abbey of Terganese, and the invalid monks of the brotherhood came from 
distant monasteries to recruit their health ; they drank in the invigorating 
air from the mountains, and read their missals under the shade of the trees 
in the valley. 

The fame of the place spread far and wide, and the Emperor Maximilian 
dearly loved to retire from the cares and anxieties of official life. The quiet 




WI'.BAD KREUTH. 



little town became a miniature court, and the gay uniforms of the officers 
of the imperial guard, and the satins of courtly and high-bred ladies, made 
a scene at once attractive and pleasing ; in fact, in the Emperor's day, the wit 
and the wisdom, the beauty and the bravery, of the German Empire, congre- 
gated at Wilbad Kreuth. 

Let us ascend one of the peaks of these Bavarian mountains ; the view 
will well repay us. Below us rise innumerable peaks, some of them covered 
with a growth of dark green, others glittering, as the sun shines upon the 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 87 

snow-capped peaks. Before us we see a hut which the goatherd has erected 
as a shelter for his goats, selecting a place where large rocks have fallen 
from the crags above: the goatherd places trunks of trees across the top; 
over this rudely constructed roof he places boughs of green, and thus protects 
his herd from the rain or snow. It is wonderful how quickly these animals 
.\rc able to foretell the approach of a storm ; it is a trait peculiar to them. 
When the sky to all human observation is perfectly serene, the goats begin 
to congregate near the hut of the goatherd, and they stand near the entrance, 
ready to enter before the storm actually breaks ; as soon as the sky clears 
up, the goat is out again, and at his favorite amusement of climbing almost 
inaccessible rocks, — a habit which follows him even in domestication, for it 
is noticeable that invariably he is found perched on the top of some roof 
or rock. 

Let us ascend higher up the mountain, and we may perchance get a view 
of a herd of chamois. We shall have to ascend very high, for the chamois 
loves to climb to heights almost inaccessible to man, and they who would 
seek him, either for pleasure or profit, must be willing to undergo not only 
hardship but actual peril. They are very agile, and will ascend and descend 
with great rapidity the most difficult places. Make a loud noise to attract 
their attention, and the whole herd will stand transfixed, and. gaze fixedly in 
the direction from whence the sound comes. While the herd are feeding, one 
usually acts as sentinel, and, upon the slightest fear of danger, communicates 
by a mysterious language the alarm to the rest, and all scamper away as fast 
as they can. They increase very rapidly, and a small quantity of food sup- 
plies their daily wants. If captured, as they often are, when young, they 
are capable of domestication, and many of the hotels in the Bavarian Alps 
have tame chamois, who soon make friends with the children. There was 
a time, nearly a hundred years ago, when these little animals were under 
royal protection ; but, nevertheless, the electors of Bavaria were fond of the 
sport of hunting them, and many of them have fallen by the hand of some 
royal amateur huntsman, in the mountains around Tegernsee. 

We have seen the herds of chamois, listened to the tinkling of the bells 
of the distant herds of goats, scented the fragrant breath of the pine forests, 
and at intervals the solemn chime of the valley church bells has come to our 
ears. Let us descend to the valley, and see the lakes that lie deep in the 
heart of the mountains. The one before us is surrounded by high rocky 



S8 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



cliffs, gloomy and dark, and throwing- black shadows upon the calm surface 
below; sometimes the setting sun shines with radiance upon the eastern shore, 
and illuminates the cliffs upon that side with a brilliant roseate hue ; at the 
base of the mountains and on the margin of the lake the pine-trees stand 
like sentinels, stern, gloomy, and upright. Along the borders of the lake are 
scattered a few decayed cottages, whose poverty-stricken occupants earn a pre- 
carious livelihood by rowing tourists across the lake, or to the various groups 
of islands that dot its surface. 

But it is not alone the beauty of Nature that attracts the attention of 
the tourist through the picturesque scenes of Bavaria and the Tyrol. All 




CASTLE OF HOHENASCHAU. 



along the line of his journey he will see relics of an olden time, remains 
of mediaeval days. Many of the rough and rugged peaks of mountains are 
crowned with dilapidated convents, where, in the seclusion of his cell, the pious 
monk pored over the musty tomes of old, transcribing or translating the wise 
writings of the fathers, or embellishing, in richly colored designs, extracts from 
holy writings, preserving to the coming generations the valuable documents 
of antiquity. On some abrupt height we see a castle, now in a state of ruin 
and decay. In one case, as at the Castle of Hohenaschau, the base of the 
hill is covered with trees, and back of it range after range of mountains lift 
their gigantic forms, while at the Castle of Falkenstein the sunlight streams 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



91 



through the dismantled windows, and the turrets and towers form a dark 
silhouette against the horizon. Both these castles are rich in fine views, and 
one who should climb to their heights would be richly rewarded for his trouble 
by the romantic prospect. Beautiful indeed are the dreamy solitudes of the 
ruins, and fair the landscape spread out on every side. 

The number of ancient castles in that part of Bavaria which is moun- 
tainous is said to have been, a century ago, almost past belief. It is related 
that there were fifty-three convents, and not less than eight hundred and ninety- 
eiuht castles. But the devastations of war have laid waste and destroyed 
many of these valuable monuments of antiquity : the secular and ecclesiastical 




RUINS OF FALKENSTEIN CASTLE. 



edifices of a century ago are fast disappearing ; some have been torn down, 
while others have been transformed into breweries, wherein is made the 
Bavarian beer so celebrated throughout the continent. 

When the stranger approaching Innsbruck has crossed the marble bridge 
over the Inn, a picturesque little castle glances at him from out of thick 
masses of trees on the hills of the left shore. The fine ancient structure 
produces, with its picturesque surroundings, such a charming effect that every 
one asks its name, and receives answer, " It is the Weierburg." Though the 
castle has neither high towers nor walls, yet it bears the proud name of " burg,' 
and in ancient times may well have been a strong castle, which proudly and 
defiantly looked down upon the swampy valley. 



92 THE HEART OF EUROPE. 

The path to the Weierburg affords a glorious view of the ever-varying 
mountain landscape on the right bank of the Inn. An avenue of old, broad- 
topped walnut-trees receives the wanderer, and leads him to the castle, which, 
with its jutties and little towers, presents a very graceful appearance, as the 
artist has here duplicated it. If he enters the long, half-lighted passages, the 
rooms and salons with their many projections, he can easily believe himself 
carried back some centuries. Old furniture ornaments the dim halls ; old por- 
traits look down earnestly from the walls. If he steps to the windows, the 
sweetest landscape laughs upon him, the most beautiful pictures in nature 
present themselves to his gaze. 

This Weierburg is a spot favored in its situation. Here things are already 
green, and the anemones are blooming in great variety, when, in places close 
by, no trace of the life of spring has yet shown itself; and, in the autumn, 
the last flowers are plucked here. But, in the summer, the huge nut-trees 
and the woods rising behind the castle afford a delightful mixture of foliage 
and cool shade. We need not, therefore, wonder that the English, more than 
forty years ago, sought out this castle, endowed with so many charms, as 
their favorite spot, and ever since have loved to linger here. The castle offers 
a quiet country residence, and, that it may be wanting in nothing, its owner 
is an amiable, highly cultivated gentleman, who is not only a skilful agricul- 
turist but also a well-trained artist, who has won for himself many encomiums 
in German academies. 

One cannot without sadness separate himself from this glorious picture of 
graceful and magnificent Alpine nature, nor without carrying with him the 
longing to see it soon again. A pleasant path leads from here to Muchlau, 
which is distant only a quarter of an hour, and enjoys a widely known water- 
cure establishment and gfood hotels. From this village one returns to the 
city over the chain-bridge and under the venerable lindens, poplars, and chest- 
nuts of the Ferdinand Avenue. 

The excursion — which repays in every respect, is rich in historical memo- 
ries, and enchanting from the beautiful impressions of nature it affords — takes 
but an hour and a half. No stranger who visits Innsbruck should neglect 
the delightful walk to the Weierburg, this jewel of the Inn valley. 

William Von Humboldt designated Salzbure " as the fairest town in 
Germany." By some writers this picturesque town has been compared to 
Edinburgh. Like the principal city of Scotland, it is divided into the old 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



93 




THE CASTLE OF WEIERBURG. 



and the new town, and its highest elevation, like Edinburgh, is surmounted 
by a castle. The city of Salzburg lies on both sides of the river Salzach, a 
small stream which, rising in the mountains, pursues its quiet way, until, 



94 THE HEART OF EUROPE. 

encircled by the Noric Alps, it forces its way through a narrow defile, and 
joins the Inn on the Bavarian plains. The heights on both sides of the river 
at Salzbunr are devoted to residences. Let us ascend the hill called the 
Capuzinerberg, on the right bank opposite the town ; from this point we shall 
be enabled to obtain the finest view. There is a thick growth of trees which 
seems to hide our prospect ; but if we ascend a little higher, we shall reach a 
quiet spot. Here it is. A peasant with his wife and children are already 
here before us, and the goats are nibbling the tender leaves, or lazily reclin- 
ing in the shade of the overarching trees. This is the spot we have sought ; 
the view is, perhaps, not so extensive as from a place we will visit later, 
but it is a gem in itself. Seated on the dethroned trunk of some ancient 
tree, we gaze over the tops of the intervening trees upon the landscape beyond. 
Beneath us lies the city, with its quaint old-fashioned roofs, above which rise 
numerous cupolas and towers. The spires and dome of the Cathedral are 
seen on our right, while beyond, the walls of the Monastery reflect the white 
sunshine ; ever and anon we catch glimpses of dismantled walls and crum- 
bling bastions, while in the background lofty mountains rear their heads until 
they seem to lose themselves in the blue sky above. 

But the principal feature of the landscape, and the most picturesque, is 
the mediaeval Castle of Hohen-Salzburg, now dismantled, which, rising high 
above the city on the southeast extremity of the Monchsberg, bade, in ancient 
times, defiance to attack, and now frowns with grim visage upon the sur- 
rounding country. 

This old castle has an interesting and romantic history ; as we gaze on 
its massive walls, our minds involuntarily wander back to the days of imperial 
Rome, when this very spot was a camp of the Roman legions, and this very 
city was governed by the magnates of the Roman Empire. The Roman 
town was destroyed by the hordes of Attila ; the dukes of Bavaria restored it 
to its former condition. Within the chambers of this castle the instruments 
of torture have often been applied, and the groans of the dying have echoed 
throughout its corridors. During the fourteenth century the castle was en- 
larged, and shortly afterwards assumed its present form. The rude camp of 
the Romans gave place to the more elaborate fortification of the Franks, and 
during the time of Charlemagne Salzburg reached the height of its power 
and glory. But again the ruthless hand of war was to devastate the lordly 
castle, and in later days it was the residence of those celebrated archbishops 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



95 




PETER'S CHURCHYARD IN SALZBURG. 



who not only held spiritual sway over their subjects, but were as well princes 
of the German Empire and city of Salzburg. But now all the glory has 
departed ; the fortress has been allowed to go to decay, and serves only for 
the purpose of barracks. 



9 6 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



Let us move farther down the river, and take our position a little farther 
to the north : the same view is before us ; the principal features of the land- 
scape remain unchanged ; but we obtain a side view of the castle, and see 
more of the town. At our feet lies the river, and just beyond the ancient 
wall of the city. In the principal square we see the Palace and the Cathc- 




SALZBURG. 



dral ; the latter, erected in the early years of the seventeenth century, is said 
to have been built in imitation of St. Peter's at Rome : it is a large and 
spacious edifice, cruciform, with towers and dome, and every indication that 
the archbishops of a former day were lavish of money when expended for 
the glory of God. Near the Cathedral we behold the archiepiscopal palace, 
once the residence of those mighty men who, until the present century, reigned 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



97 



over Salzburg. The Castle and the Monastery, that stand upon the Monchs- 
berg, appear to us much the same as in the first view, but look larger and 
more formidable to us as we view them laterally. Again, we get a fuller 
view of the mountains far at our left, around which cluster scenes of pic- 
turesque beauty which vie with the richest landscapes of Switzerland. 

Let us descend into the ancient town, and wander through its streets. 
Let us visit the stables of former princes, consisting of an immense amphi- 
theatre hewn from the solid rock, but now devoted to the use of cavalry 
regiments. See how the houses on yonder hill seem to cling as it were to 
the naked rock, reminding one of swallows' nests under the eaves of a country 
barn. Let us take a stroll through the Museum, near the convent of St. 
Ursula, and view the rare collection of Roman and Celtic antiquities. Here 
is a fine display of ancient armor, and implements of war used hundreds of 
years ago ; those who are interested in numismatics will find in this museum 
a collection of coins dating back over eight hundred years. 

Not far from the Cathedral is the collegiate church of St. Peter, a fine 
edifice built in the twelfth century, in the Romanesque style. The interior is 
adorned with memorial tablets and monuments, the most interesting of modern 
times being the one in honor of Haydn, the illustrious composer. Attached 
to this church is a fine hall, which contains a library of some forty thousand 
volumes, a valuable collection of ancient coins, engravings, and works of art. 
Let us leave the church and enter the Burial Ground of St. Peter. It is 
situated directly south of the church" of the same name, and is the most 
ancient place of sepulture in the town. It is said to date from the time 
of St. Rupert, and it is believed that he consecrated the ground ; at any rate, 
the appearance of the place is ancient in the extreme, and the chapels and 
vaults, hewn from the solid rock, bear upon the sculptured marble inscriptions 
which date far back into the twilight of the past. In the view presented on 
page 95 we see the churchyard, situated at the base of an overhanging rock, 
from which hangs rich and luxurious foliage ; before us, in the open space, 
are monuments in every style of mortuary design, while cowled monks kneel 
before the ancient symbol of Christianity, or converse together within this 
sacred enclosure. Raise your eyes above, and, high on the hill, above the 
trees, you behold crowning the eminence a magnificent specimen of mediaeval 
architecture, giving to the whole scene a picturesque beauty equalling, if not 
excelling, any on the continent. 



98 THE HEART OF EUROPE. 

The most vigorous pen utterly fails when it attempts to describe the 
beauty and the grandeur of the Bavarian Alps. The reader of these pages 
may conjure up a vision from some description which he has read of this 
wondrous country, and he may be aided by some of the representations which 
we present in this volume ; but magnificent as the description may be, and 
true to nature as the picture may be, the ideal formed will be totally inferior 
to the reality. 



WURTEMBERG. 



DO not leave this beautiful region, without passing down the valley of 
the Neckar. Starting from Heidelberg, we proceed to the city of 
Stuttgart, the capital of Wurtemberg. It is a well-built town, laid out with 
wide avenues and fine squares. In ancient days a castle existed where now 







PLACE OF THE OLD CASTLE. 



stands the modern city ; and slowly, from small beginnings, the population 
has increased, until at the present time it numbers nearly one hundred thou- 
sand souls. It happened to be the day of the fair or market when we 
reached Stuttgart, and it was very fortunate indeed, because it seemed to us 



100 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



like being transported into the past century, and living in another age and 
generation. As we wandered leisurely through the market-place, the peasants 
from the country were continually arriving, — some with high hats turned up 
on both sides, yellow small-clothes, and close-cut vests of black velvet, the 
buttons of which were so large that they almost touched each other ; others 
appeared in long surtouts, short-waisted and narrow-skirted, with pockets of 
unbounded capacity. The women were very picturesque in their appearance. 
They wore their hair long, touching the ground, in two broad plaits, tied at 
intervals with bright ribbons. These, we were informed, were from Suabia. 




WILHELMA. 



The old castle, a court with three stories of arcades, is not wanting in 
character ; all tourists speak of it ; all the printed and all the local guides 
take us there ; it has an old tower in which creeps up a staircase one can 
ascend on horseback, so gradual is the incline. This old castle is now used 
as a kitchen for the royal household. 

Leaving the public square, we soon found ourselves in the midst of one 
of those charming landscapes of Wiirtemberg where plain, forests, and hills 
which almost assume the appearance of mountains are grouped together in 
the happiest manner for the eye ; where pretty villages, with their great brown 
roofs, with bold silhouettes, and surrounded by a vigorous growth of verdure, 
carve themselves against the blue background of the Suabian Alp, under a sky 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



IOI 



luminous, but veiled by a slight mist. On the route, peasants were passing 
on foot and on horseback, talking a little, smoking always. 

We go out from Stuttgart along the Castle Garden, a long promenade 
of a league in extent, and we reach the Castle of Rosenstein. This boasts 
of its gardens, its Arabian palace, La Wilhelma, &c. ; the king has expended 
so many marks on the Indian cupolas and the galleries of La Wilhelma, that 
the good people of Wurtemberg have murmured the word " Folly ; " hearing 
which the king has reserved to himself alone the enjoyment of his folly, and 
the gates remain obstinately closed to all visitors. The king's son has his 
folly also, — a charming Italian imitation, which is called the Villa of the 




VILLA OF THE PRINCE ROYAL. 



Prince Royal ; but what a sad air must it have when winter deprives it of 
its sun and verdure ; and how one must shiver when under those open gal- 
leries, suited to the climate of Naples ! 

We pass under the foundations of the castle by a tunnel of four hundred 
and twenty metres in length, to come out in the valley of the Neckar, the 
right bank of which we follow as far as Plockingen, in the midst of vine- 
yards and of fields of maize. Plockingen is only a substantial borough town ; 
Esslingen, which we first reached, is an ancient imperial city. It was a 
sovereign state before its reduction to the rank of a simple Wiirtembergian 
municipality. 



102 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



At Reichenbach we enter the valley of the Fils, which has its rise in 
the centre of the Suabian Alps, the last chain which separates us from the 
Danube. 

The Suabian Alps extend from the source of the Neckar to that of the 
Jaxt. The highest and wildest part bears particularly the name of Ragged 
Alps. Hohenberg reaches a height of a thousand and twenty-seven yards, 
and Hohenzollern nine hundred and sixteen ; Hohen-Neuffen is almost as high. 
The Castle of Hohenzollern stands on a high limestone plateau, not very far 
from Hohenstauffen and from Altorf, the original seat of the Welfs (Guelphs) ; 




CASTLE OF HOHENZOLLERN. 



this castle was the ancestral home of Conrad of Hohenzollern, the twenty- 
third lineal ancestor of the present Emperor William of Prussia. Ragged 
Alps cannot be compared for boldness of form with mountain chains of the 
first order ; they,- however, appeared to us very picturesque. 

We arrive on the plateau of the Suabian Alps with a certain emotion : 
here passes the line of division between the waters of Europe ; before us 
they flow to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean ; behind us, to the North 
Sea and the Atlantic. It is like the boundary of two worlds. 

Upon arriving at Ulm, as soon as we recover the use of our limbs we 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



103 



will go, not to the old city, which still retains its wooden houses and its 
tortuous streets ; nor to its Minister, which puts that of Strasburg to the 
blush — (next to that of Cologne it is the most vast of all the churches of 
Germany) ; nor to the fortifications, which, we are assured, will one day humble 




CHURCH OF ESSLINGEN. 



the pride of France ; but to the Danube, which bathes it. We hasten to 
contemplate the true king of the rivers of Europe. 

The possessor of Ulm holds the key of the Danube ; Napoleon took it 
in 1805. Like a true German city as it is, the old city has had two masters, 
even three. Its prosperity has not been in proportion to the number of those 
whom it obeys. There was a time when it had more than a hundred thou- 
sand inhabitants ; now it is reduced to less than one half that number. We 



104 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



are in a city very German, and which has not yet made its toilet for the 
nineteenth century. If we were an inhabitant, we should like it better dressed 
out in the last mode, with modern improvements ; for it would then be bril- 
liantly illuminated at night ; its muddy river would be cleared and deepened ; 
its pavement, so hard, would be made level, and its tortuous streets squared 
into lines like a Prussian regiment, to the greater profit of its business men ; 




HOTEL DE VILLE AT ULM. 



but as tourist we prefer it as it is. Is there not a real joy in finding an old 
Gothic city instead of the eternal quadrant of Regent Street which one meets 
now everywhere? The centuries ought, indeed, like the landscape gardeners, 
to leave here and there some signs or testimonies in the midst of the work of 
destruction and of levelling which they accomplish. There would be so great 
a charm in contemplating at intervals the iiving past ! 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



IO: 



Ulm has one of the most beautiful churches in Germany, — its Cathedral. 
It is of that style which sacrifices all to boldness ; from a distance it is 
imposing and grand. 

The Town Hall and the fountain which decorates the square also deserve 
mention. The hotel was constructed in the second half of the fourteenth 




%M 



THE RAMPARTS OF ULM. 



century (about 1370). Frescos formerly decorated its facade; some traces of 
them are yet seen. 

The Danube at Ulm is still very modest. From Donaueschingen to Sig- 
maringen its valley is pleasing and lovely. It flows sometimes between moun- 
tains covered with rich foliage ; anon we find upon its borders fresh green 
meadows that seem like lawns covered with beautiful flowers. On rocky 



106 THE HEART OF EUROPE. 

heights overlooking the river, the remains of some lordly castle of the Middle 
Ages stand silent and forsaken, and we picture the happy occupants of the 
mediaeval days, as they busied themselves in the dangers of battle or the 
delights of the chase. Some parts of the way are lined with forests whose 
branches are continually in motion : in fact, the valley of the Danube is a 
continual feast to one whose heart and eyes are open to receive the pic- 
turesque and the beautiful in nature and in art. The valley of the Danube is 
of such supreme interest that we shall, further on in this work, give a more 
detailed account, copiously illustrated, of the most salient points on the river, 
and present to those who have not had the pleasure of sailing down this 
charming stream, such scenes and narratives as we deem worthy of interest. 
To those who have in days gone by followed the course of the river, and 
gazed upon the varied scenes, such views will be almost a revival of the first 
visit, and will serve to recall some of the pleasant days passed in Continental 
travel. 



DOWN THE DAN UBE. 



THE DANUBE. 

Duna ! thou queen of many rivers, — thou 

Of all Slavonia, venerable mother ! 

Why to a foreign ocean dost thou flow, 

Why leave thy native home to seek another ? 

O, if thou love thy birthplace, if thou know 

Pity for these thy sorrowing children, glide 

Not to the Osmans, but these tears of woe 

Bear to thy cradle on thy silver tide. 

Dost thou seek wreaths of fame ? — it is no fame 

To bear a hundred ships upon thy face 

While it is watered by a single tear, — 

Yet this is glory, when Wletawa here 

Joins to thy name its own fraternal name, 

And thy bride Saale speeds to thine embrace. 

John KollAr. Tr. John Bowrino. 



COMING north from Salzburg, we strike the Danube at Passau. Here 
the grandeur and beauty of the famous river really commence, and 
from this point we shall follow it eastward across the entire breadth of the 
Austrian Empire, until, at Belgrade, we leave behind us the double-headed 
eagle, and enter upon that much disputed ground known in general terms 
as " The Principalities." 

Passau is one of the oldest cities in Germany. A tribe of the Gauls had 
a village here in very early days ; later, the Romans fortified it as a camp ; 
and in 737 a. d. it had importance enough as a German town to be made 
the seat of a bishopric. Hence grew up a rich ecclesiastical principality, whose 



io8 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



bishop possessed numerous domains in Austria, and was the metropolitan of 
all the churches in the valley of the Danube, from the Inn to the Leitha, the 
see of Vienna not having been established until 1480. 

The position of the city justifies its importance. Occupying as it does a 
narrow rocky strip of ground, at the confluence of the Inn and the Danube, 
it has great advantages as a military post, and at the same time it offers the 
painter rare inducements for the exercise of his skill. In the illustration it is 
represented as seen from the northeast. The Danube comes from the west, 
the Inn from the south, and the Ilz, immediately in the foreground, falls into 
the Danube just below the city. A noteworthy point in the real scene, which 
our picture unhappily cannot give, is the difference in color of the three rivers. 




THE DANUBE AT LINTZ. 



The water of the Ilz is clear but brownish, like all the streams whose springs 
have filtered through the granite rocks of the Bohemian Mountains ; that of 
the Danube is green as an emerald ; that of the Inn is light gray, and turbu- 
lent. The body of water brought by the Inn is, doubtless, greater than that 
brought by the Danube : the breadth of the Inn is nine hundred and fifty- 
seven feet to the Danube's seven hundred and ninety-two, and you wonder 
why the Tyrolese branch is not reckoned as the main river, until you remem- 
ber what a share Rome had eighteen centuries ago in settling the chief points 
of European geography. In her eyes, the Inn, flowing north, was only a 
road from the Alps into Germany; but the Danube, with its eastward moving- 
current, was something very much more than this : it was a great boundary, — 



Ill 

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■li™ 1 




THE HEART OF EUROPE. Ill 

it was, so to speak, the broad moat which guarded the approaches to her far 
extended territory. 

Returning to the illustration, we notice on the right the old fortress of 
Oberhaus, overlooking the city at a height of three hundred and sixty feet. 
It is now scarcely better than a prison, and, save the view from its summit, 
offers no attraction to the visitor. On the left rises the pilgrimage church of 
Mariahilf, reached, if you choose, by a covered stairway of two hundred and 
sixty-four steps, from the little suburb on the river's bank. The town itself 
has a cathedral of the thirteenth century, and its houses are sufficiently medi- 
aeval to be interesting. A half-day satisfies us with Passau, and early in the 
afternoon we embark on the steamer for Lintz. For a few minutes after 
leaving the pier everybody is attracted by the picturesque view of the city and 
its suburbs, rising as a sort of amphitheatre in the foreground, while into the 
distance, as far as the eye can see, stretch away the valleys of the Inn and of 
the Danube, and over all bends the blue sky of early afternoon. 

The boat glides on, and at a bend of the river we enter what seems like 
a vast lake hemmed in by hills of irregular contour ; a little farther on we 
lose sight of the entrance into this lake, nor can we see the outlet. All 
around us is solitude ; not a village is in sight, no other boat upon the water. 
The earth is fruitful, vegetation is splendid ; and in the midst of this calm, 
tranquil nature, softly borne along by this beautiful river, one feels cradled 
upon the breast of the mighty and loving mother, who bears us, and who 
smiles upon us all. 

Only human life seems absent ; and yet it is not far away. Now and 
then we have a glimpse of a church-spire ; and villages, which could not cling 
to the steep slopes of the hills, are nestled behind them on the plateaus. 

Sometimes the picture changes, and we see broad meadows, kept luxuri- 
antly green by the river fogs ; or forests, perfuming the air, and crowding 
close to the water's edge ; here and there a side valley, opening to the river, 
and a sparkling, eager brook dashing down impatiently over the rocks. Then, 
incidents of land and water : a cow, who watches us as we pass, with her 
gentle, tranquil air ; a bird fishing, who, as we approach, spreads his wings 
and flies away ; the diver, swimming and going under water at intervals ; or 
the heron, whose patience we disturb, who rises, and with his great wings 
grazes the surface of the water. 

As for ruins, we see but few. Evidently the Danube was not a favorite 



I 12 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



resort of the robber knights ; they could prosper only where a higher authority 
was inert or absent, and along a river which was a great commercial highway. 
Both these advantages were afforded them by the Rhine ; but the Danube, 
besides being ruled by the strong hands of the dukes of Austria, traversed 
countries incessantly ravaged by great wars, and led to lands whence nothing 
came and whither nothing went. After all, there is not so much that is acci- 
dental in history as we think. 




VIEW OF LINTZ. 



TWO LOVERS. 



A skiff swam down the Danube's tide, 
Therein a bridegroom sate, and bride, 
He one side, she the other. 

" Tell me, my dearest heart," said she, 
" What present shall I make to thee ? " 

And back her little sleeve she stripped, 
And deeply down her arm she dipped. 

And so did he, the other side, 

And laughed and jested with his bride. 

" Fair Lady Danube, give me here 
Some pretty gift to please my dear." 



She drew a sparkling sword aloft, 
Just such the boy had longed for, oft. 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 113 

The boy, what holds he in his hand ? 
Of milk-white pearls a costly band. 

He binds it round her jet-black hair, 
She looks a princess, sitting there. 

" Fair Lady Danube, give me here 
Some pretty gift to please my dear ! " 

Once more she 11 try what she can feel ; 
She grasps a helmet of light steel. 

On his part, terrified with joy, 
Fished up a golden comb the boy. 

A third time clutching in the tide. 
Woe ! she falls headlong o'er the side. 

The boy leaps after, clasps her tight, 
Dame Danube snatches both from sight. 

Dame Danube grudged the gifts she gave, 
They must atone for 't in the wave. 

An empty skiff glides down the stream, 
The mountains hide the sunset gleam. 

And when the moon in heaven did stand, 
The lovers floated dead to land, 
He one side, she the other. 

Eduard Morike. Tr. C. T. Brooks. 

Farther on, the river widens and the view extends. The double wall 
of hills and forests which hemmed us in vanishes, and we are not sorry, 
after three hours, to have a wider outlook. We find ourselves in a sort of 
labyrinth of islands and shallows, where the Danube loses its grandeur and 
its strength, changing its bed at every freshet, — almost with every week. 
The banks are low ; we are again in a plain, and afar we discern the Salzburg 
Alps, and the Traunstein, which we last saw from St. Peter's tower in Munich. 
It is a compensation. One soon wearies of these level shores, however, and it 
is with pleasure that we find ourselves again entering a valley, not so grand 
as that we left a few miles back, but beautiful with its granitic rocks and 
luxuriant vegetation, graceful in outline, and with many scattered country- 
houses, which announce to us that we are approaching Lintz. 

This city, the capital of Upper Austria, was made the centre of vast 
fortifications no later than 1S30-36, but the engines of modern warfare have 
rendered them entirely untenable, and they are now in process of removal. 



ii4 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



Between five o'clock one afternoon and eight the next morning we have 
time enough to do justice to Lintz. There is a good hotel, and we have 
supper in a garden, with an accompaniment of military music. Later in the 
evening we sit on a balcony overlooking the river, the music still ringing 
out triumphantly in the clear night air. Of all nights in the year this hap- 
pens to be one when an archduke is expected in Lintz, and so the town is 
all ablaze with illuminations, and the vessels at the quay are bright with 
colored lanterns. As the evening grew later and darker, we could not see 
the river beneath ; only the strings of colored lanterns, and solitary lights 




THE STRUDEL. 



skimming like water-spiders hither and thither with incredible rapidity, as 
some single oarsman shot across and vanished, and reappeared, and vanished 
again. When and how the archduke arrived we never knew, but we could 
only hope that he enjoyed his reception as much as we did. 

Early the next morning we resumed our journey. The banks of the 
river are lower and less varied, and only at. Grein, which we reach after two 
hours' sail, is there anything to disturb the traveller who may choose, like 
ourselves, to while away the hours with a book. But here ridges of rock 
make out into the stream, and form a rapid, a prelude to the famous Strudel, 
once very dangerous to vessels. But the rocks of the Strudel were blasted 



THE HEART OE EUROPE. 



115 



for the last time in 1853, and now, at the lowest water, there is still a depth 
of six feet in the channel. The current is extremely swift, but there is no 
longer any danger ; and we return to our reading, a little disappointed that 
this is all there is of the Strudel. The famous Wirbel, once a fathomless 
gulf, — a whirlpool of the direst description, and a pendant to the Strudel, — 
has been " improved " entirely out of existence. 

But what superb mass of buildings is this, — palace, church, and fortress 
all in one, — its base upon the granite rock a hundred feet above our heads, 
its towers, and colossal sculptured figures, and glittering copper dome, clear 




ABBEY OF MOLK. 



cut against the brilliant mid-day sky, some two hours after we have left the 
Strudel behind us ? It is the old Benedictine monastery of Molk, one of the 
richest religious establishments in Central Europe. For more than eight cen- 
turies this spot has been the home of a brotherhood of monks, many of them 
men of high rank and elegant scholarship ; and to-day the courtly and gentle 
brothers lead the same life, in these cloistered halls and shady gardens, that 
their predecessors were leading there before Peter the Hermit roused all 
Europe with the war-cry of the Crusades. 

The present buildings were erected not quite two hundred years ago, and 
attest, by their vast extent and magnificent internal construction, the habits of 



u6 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



luxury and ceremony to which the old monks were accustomed. The Library 
and Refectory are stately halls, sixty feet high, and finished almost entirely in 
marble. The church, which is built wholly of marble, is of size to accom- 
modate five or six thousand people. The suite of apartments belonging to 
the abbot consists of thirty spacious rooms, including a chapel for his private 
devotions, and a concert hall. The chapel has a wonderful golden cross in it, 
which was made in 1363. It is two feet high, with a silver foot, and the 
back much adorned with pearls and gems. All the abbot's apartments are 




"'^KSw.ft. 



THE PRATER. 



furnished with great elegance, and they are kept in scrupulous order, whether 
the reverend gentleman is at home or absent. 

The hospitality of Molk is on a scale no less princely. Sixty guest- 
chambers are kept constantly in readiness, and at some times of the year they 
are all occupied. The regular inmates of the monastery are only about three 
hundred in number, and of these but eighty-four are monks, the rest being 
servitors of various grades and young men pursuing their studies here. 

Fifteen miles more upon the Danube, and, just as the sun is sinking, we 
find ourselves in "the imperial city," — Vienna. 



THE HEART OE EUROPE. 



I r 



A very familiar name attracts us first, as we enter on the campaign of 
sight-seeing, — the Prater, that famous park, so much admired a century ago 
for its combination of natural and artificial charms. But the Prater has seen 
its best days. It is low and damp, and seems poorly kept. It is not, per- 
haps, quite safe to call it deserted, for now and then the Viennese drive thither 
in crowds ; but at the moment we entered this" celebrated park we could see 
no one, down the long avenues or on the level greensward, save only a herd 
of deer and one solitary archduke. The archduke was driving at full speed 
towards the entrance ; and the deer, who have their liberty, were setting off, 




« 








THE GLORIETTE AT SCHONBRUNN. 



also at full speed, for some more remote pasture-ground. To tell the truth, 
it is the railways that have spoiled the Prater, by offering access, at a very 
small expense of time and money, to scenes much lovelier and fresher than 
any park can be, even in its best estate. 

No greater contrast could be imagined than that existing between this 
neglected old place and the fine, well-kept gardens attached to the Palace of 
Schonbrunn. The palace itself is only a handsome large country-house, but 
the gardens are a miniature copy of those of Versailles, a very miracle of art 
and regularity. The avenues are lined with trees of great height, clipped so 
closely that they resemble solid green walls, wherein stand, in niches at regular 



n8 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



intervals, white marble figures of life size. There are lakes here and there, 
adorned with groups of tritons and nereids. One lovely statue of a nymph 
pours from her urn a perpetual stream of deliciously cold water ; and at the 
extreme end of the grand avenue, facing the palace, is its reproduction in 
miniature, the Gloriette, a very elegant pavilion, whose two wings are open 
porticos, and from whose roof we have a noble view of the city and the 
mountains beyond. 




THE BELVEDERE, VIENNA. 



From Schonbrunn it is a short drive to the Belvedere, an imperial chateau, 
erected in 1724. It consists of two buildings, the Upper and the Lower 
Belvedere, separated by a garden laid out in the French style. The Upper 
Belvedere contains the great picture-gallery. This collection is especially rich 
in Venetian and Flemish paintings : there are twenty or thirty Titians, as 
many more by Paul Veronese, and a long list of works by Vandyke, Rem- 
brandt, and Teniers ; the German school of Albrecht Diirer and Holbein is 
well represented, and so, too, is the later German school. 

A detailed account of pictures does not come within the scope of the 
present work, and we shall therefore linger but briefly in the gallery, and, 
calling the reader's attention to the view from the garden which lies back 
of the Upper Belvedere, we shall return to the city, taking on our way the 



THE HEART OE EUROPE. 



119 




ST. STEPHEN'S CATHEDRAL, VIENNA. 



church of St. Charles Borromeo, seen on page 124. This was the votive 
offering whereby the Emperor Charles VI. thanked God when the plague was 



120 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



stayed in Vienna ; and over the main entrance is a great bas-relief, portraying 
the effects of this malady. Two great columns, rising either side of the 
central building, give an air of originality to this structure. They are adorned 
with bas-reliefs from the life of St. Charles, rising in a spiral to the top of 
the column. 

In point of churches, however, nothing bears comparison with the great 
Stephans-Dom, the Cathedral of St. Stephen, which stands in the very heart 
of the old city. The busiest life of one of the gayest capitals in Europe 




GARDEN OF THE BELVEDERE. 



eddies and swirls around it, and beats against its walls all day and all night. 
One step inside, and you are in a cool, dark solitude, silent and impressive as 
some primeval forest. A few people are kneeling upon the stone pavement ; 
a priest is moving softly in the chancel ; a faint sound of chanting comes at 
intervals, but the singers are hidden from sight. Standing beside one of the 
great clustered pillars, and looking up into the darkness of the arches over- 
head, you allow the spirit of the place to gain full control of you : and pres- 
ently it is no longer the silence of the forest where no man has been, but a 
silence full of human life, and passion, and aspiration, that reigns under the 
great roof, wherein the story of five centuries goes on repeating itself forever. 
The great tower is considered one of the most beautiful works of Gothic 




THE PULPIT IN THE CATHEDRAL, VIENNA. 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



123 
















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STRIKING CHRISTMAS CHIMES, CATHEDRAL TOWER. 



art in the world. It rises to the height of four hundred and forty-four feet, 
but a trifle less than the spire of Strasburg. 

Although we have chosen to follow the great Austrian river as our best 



124 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



route for a tourist's glance at the Austrian Empire, a detour must be made 
for Prague, the Bohemian capital, a city of most peculiar and romantic aspect, 
and venerable historic associations. No one view gives a more suggestive 
idea of Prague than the illustration on the opposite page, representing the 








CHURCH OF ST. CHARLES BORROMEO, VIENNA. 



angle of the old bridge, and the towers with their arched gateway, where 
many a desperate struggle has taken place between those who held the bridge 
and those who sought to force a passage. The bridge itself has sixteen 
arches, and every buttress is adorned with a statue or a group of figures 
representing saintly personages dear to Bohemian legend. 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



125 



Between Prague and Vienna lies the beautiful chateau of Prince Leichten- 
stein, — " Eisgrub," — which not only bears the palm among this nobleman's 
ninety-nine different residences, but even is a rival to many royal and imperial 
abodes. 




KARLSBRUCKE, PRAGUE. 



' The orangery," says a recent visitor, " which is more than one hundred 
and fifty metres in length, contains nine hundred orange-trees, of which several 
are more than two centuries old. In the hot-houses, among other exotics, are 
not less than fifteen hundred aloes. The park, watered by the Thaya, is the 
most beautiful in all Germany. Within its limits are many ornamental struc- 



126 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



tures, of which we observe specially a mosque, to whose minaret ascends a 
flight of three hundred steps ; a Chinese rotunda ; a bath-house and fisher- 
man's cabin of very picturesque construction ; a mediaeval chateau, surrounded 
by a fine menagerie ; two temples, one of the Muses, the other of the Graces ; 
several lakes, one of which forms the boundary between Austria and Moravia ; 
and many rustic buildings serving as shelter for cows and sheep. The adja- 
cent forest of Seimer is enclosed by a wall fifteen miles long, at one point of 




CASTLE EISGRU3. 



which a sort of triumphal arch is erected, ornamented by statues of Endymion, 
Diana, Actaeon, Bacchus, and other mythological personages." 

South from Vienna, at the foot of the Leonhard Mountains, lies the charm- 
ing Perchtholdsdorf. The popular name of the mountain is Parapluieberg ; 
of the village, Petersdorf; but, in Vienna, these vulgar names have almost 
entirely given way to the correct ones. Perchtholdsdorf is said to date as 
far back as Leopold of Babenberg, 983 ; and history shows that the place 
was at first in the possession of the nobles. It was for a long time the 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 129 

residence of the widows of the dukes. There lived Joanna, the widow of 
Albert II. ; she built a castle, on the site of whose ruins is, to-day, the ceme- 
tery of Perchtholdsdorf. There Catherine, the widow of Rudolf IV., and 
Beatrice, the widow of Albert III., closed their lives. The last-named prin- 
cess induced Albert VI. to raise Perchtholdsdorf to the rank of a market-town, 
and to bestow upon it other privileges. Its fortunes are closely interwoven 
with many an historical event. We are reminded of the dispute between 
Albert and Frederic, when we read that Albert mortgaged the Castle of 
Perchtholdsdorf to the Count von Posing and St. George, in order to be able 
to maintain his army, and that Count Posing refused to give it back, and 
only yielded at length to force. Later, the troops of Mathias Corvinus brought 
terror to Perchtholdsdorf, and scarcely was the place newly fortified, when, in 
1529, the Turkish army drew near. In the year 1605 the troops of Botskay 
brought mischief and desolation. In the year 1683 the whole market-town 
was destroyed, and even the church, which is represented in our illustration, 
was the scene of a fearful deed of horror. 

The church rose above the crypt built by Leopold the Glorious, 1208- 
1209. It is a beautiful monument of the vigorous Gothic style of the Middle 
Ages. The interior is rich in beauty. Ten slender Gothic pillars support the 
vault of the dome. Besides the chief altar there are six side altars in the 
three naves of the church. On the high altar is exhibited the Ascension of 
Mary and the figure of St. Augustine. The side altars are consecrated to 
St. Leonhard, John of Nepomuck, "Sebastian, the Holy Cross, besides two 
to Mary. Close by the side altar of St. Leonhard, to the right of the high 
altar, a trap-door leads into the crypt. The tower, standing apart, built entirely 
of freestone, rises one hundred and eighty feet from the foundation. Above 
the clock appears the number " 1521," the year in which the tower was fin- 
ished. The visitor first enters a hall containing a well, — peculiar for a church- 
tower, but it is easy to understand why it is there, when we consider that the 
tower was intended as a place of refuge from the dangers of war, and that it 
was, therefore, necessary to see that it was provided with water. A winding 
staircase of stone leads to the top of the tower, from which an enchanting 
view can be enjoyed over a wide and well-wooded landscape. 

It was on the 9th of July, 1683, that the first troops of Tartars appeared 
before the walls of Perchtholdsdorf. The armed citizens drove them back. 
On the nth and 12th, likewise, the enemy gained no advantage. On the 



130 THE HEART OF EUROPE. 

14th, fire was thrown into the town. Thirty citizens made a sally, but met 
with death. The fire spread, and the whole body of citizens saved themselves 
and their goods in the tower and in the crypt under the church. On the 
1 6th, the Turks offered to the besieged life, and freedom to retire, if they 
would surrender. The terms agreed upon were that the besieged should pay 
four thousand gulden as ransom money, should leave the tower, and lay down 
their arms. At two o'clock the besieged marched out. Now the Turks began 
a massacre of the defenceless ; not fewer than thirty-eight hundred Christians 
were butchered ; many women and children were dragged off into slavery, and 
the tower and church were given to the flames. 

But soon after this dreadful catastrophe the town was repeopled by some 
Styrian colonists ; in 1703 the newly built houses already numbered two hun- 
dred and forty. In 1703, when the plague raged through the surrounding 
country, Perchtholdsdorf remained untouched. In memory of this the citizens 
erected a marble column, which is still to be seen on the market-place. 

Once more in Vienna, we turn our faces eastward again, and in the early 
morning accomplish the two hours' journey that brings us over the Hunga- 
rian frontier. The north bank of the river is low as far as the entrance into 
Hungary ; on the south, the hills approach nearer, and give variety to the 
landscape. 

It is not, however, due to its picturesque quality that this region so 
strangely fascinates the traveller's mind. It has been the border land of the 
Aryan nations of Europe, and no frontier was ever the scene of hotter strife. 
Here, on the southern side of the river, over a space now covered by three 
villages, stretched the great Roman fortress of Carnuntum, whence the legions 
held in check the Quadi of Moravia and the Jazygi of the Theiss. Ten 
emperors successively made this stronghold their abode for longer or shorter 
periods, and here Marcus Aurelius wrote his famous " Thoughts." But in 
375 the Quadi got the better of their powerful enemy, and reduced Carnun- 
tum to a mass of ruins. It was never rebuilt, Vienna, then Vindobona, be- 
coming a more important strategic point ; but, to the present time, the traces 
of Roman occupation are so visible, and inscriptions, medals, beautiful frag- 
ments of all sorts, Styrian, Italian, and even African marbles so abundant, 
that it is easy to reconstruct in our thoughts the ancient city. At Petronel 
was the city properly so called ; at Deutsch-Altenburg, the camp, whose out- 
line can be plainly traced ; and at Hamburg, the fortress, covering with its 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



131 



works the entire hill. Roman aqueducts still convey water to the modern 
village, and at Petronel is the remnant of a Roman edifice of great size, 
which is known as " the Heathen's Gate." 

Changing the line of defence for one at right angles with it, this region 
has been the frontier of the nations of Europe against the Turks, with the 
disadvantage that the Danube served as a highway to bring these dangerous 
neighbors up to the very walls of Vienna. For nearly two hundred years 
their incursions were the terror of Central Europe, until the gallant Pole, 
Sobieski, drove them for the last time from the Austrian capital. 




'-^.LAUCC^Ji 



THE QUAY AT PRESSBURG. 



Lastly, at the beginning of this century the great plains just outside of 
Vienna were the scene of two of Napoleon's most successful battles, — Aspern 
and Wagram ; and on the low, wooded, uninhabited island of Lobau, which 
we pass half an hour after leaving the city, he made his camp with one hun- 
dred and fifty thousand infantry, thirty thousand horses, and three hundred 

guns. 

Such are the salient points in the history of this little space of river, 
and meadow and hillsides, lying between Vienna and Pressburg, — the Roman 
occupation, the Turkish invasions, the campaign of Napoleon. We sum them 
up in a few lines, — these three great epics ; but what a tremendous spectacle 
was each in its turn, and what pen can describe, what imagination can picture, 



132 THE HEART OF EUROPE. 

the countless dramas of individual life involved in each ! And now the great 
stage is empty — the actors gone ; we sail idly down the blue river in the 
morning sunshine, and neither Roman nor French eagle nor Turkish crescent 
bars our way. 

Through a defile, formed by the Lesser Carpathians on the north and 
the Leitha range of hills on the south, we enter Hungary, and in fifteen 
minutes we are at anchor before Pressburg, whose chief interest seems to be 
that it was formerly for a time the capital of the kingdom. 

After a half-hour's delay we are again in motion, and we soon find our- 
selves in the land of a new language, or rather of half a dozen new languages. 
Not a river, not a mountain, not a town, but bears three or four names, — 
Latin, German, Magyar, Slave, Roumanian. 

Leaving Pressburg, the river flows through an immense plain, and stretch- 
ing out an arm to the right and one to the left embraces two enormous 
islands, the larger of which is fifty-five miles long, and contains about a hun- 
dred villages ! 

Farther on, with the reappearance of higher ground on the southern bank, 
we come upon some of the most famous Hungarian vineyards. Their produce 
is estimated at from eighteen to nineteen millions of hectolitres annually, and 
is almost entirely consumed by the inhabitants. There is also great abun- 
dance of corn and of tobacco. Hungary is, indeed, one of the most fertile 
countries in the world, and, well governed, would speedily become one of the 
richest. 

Beyond Gram, where the great dome of the Cathedral rises picturesquely 
on a hill, resembling St. Peter's at Rome, the landscape grows more sombre ; 
the mountains close down upon the river, and shut it into a sort of defile. 
Emerging from this defile, the stream turns a sharp corner, and flows due 
south in a wide channel having many islands. The plain recommences, more 
level, more monotonous than before. We have lost all the charming scenery 
that makes the Danube so attractive at some points of its course. 

Meantime the sun has gone down ; but as we draw near Pesth, towards 
nine in the evening, the full moon lights up the landscape with almost the 
brilliancy of day. We can see that there are many villages and cultivated 
fields, and the river is alive with boats of every description. All things 
announce the approach to a capital. We sail among small, low islands, cov- 
ered with trees to the water's edge. One of these, the largest, conceals Buda 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 135 

from our sight. As we sail past we hear music, and catch a glimpse of 
flying skirts of white and rose-color, beneath the trees. They are dancing in 
the open air. 

THE LAST OF THE ARPADS. 

In Buda's lofty castle towers in the chapel of Saint John, 
Behind the mighty dead in pomp the funeral sweeps on ; 
The covering of velvet, the coffin all of gold, 
Tell of the rank and royal state that coffin doth enfold. 

The old and young, the rich and poor, are crowding one and all, 
Grief sits on every face, from every eye the teardrops fall ; 
The tolling bells are mingling their melancholy boom : 
Who is it to be buried ? who closed within the tomb ? 

The last branch of an ancient root that from an ancient day 

Had flourished in the Magyar land, and over it held sway : 

The blood drops last and latest of the Arpad line so brave, 

King Andrew's corpse the mourning crowd are following to the grave. 

But who is this that kneeleth, bending low beside the bier, 
Muttering a prayer while kneeling there, and shedding many a tear, 
In garb of woe, from top to toe, in a black veil bedight, 
Looking like daybreak bursting on the middle hour of night ? 

It is the poor Elizabeth, orphaned by yonder bier, 

So full of charms, so pleasant, like the spring-time of the year ; 

'T is she, the beautiful, alas ! orphan of fatherland, 

Her soul and body like a flower crushed by the frost's cold hand. 

High o'er her head the stormy clouds are gathering to break, 
And above her and around her a thicker darkness make ; 
And faction's twining serpent and intrigue's spider net, 
Leagued in a dark conspiracy, her every path beset. 

Against this dastard host has risen a brave and gallant knight, 

To shield the last of Arpad's blood with the weapons of his might, — 

Matthias Csak the pillar of this house august and old, — 

Not two such sons the Magyar land within its bounds doth hold. 

This veteran for the regal house thinks life a forfeit due, 
For freedom and for fatherland he bursts his heart in two ; 
He struggles like a giant man, alas ! in vain, in vain, 
For on the throne of Arpad's race no king shall sit again. 

Andrew descends forevermore into the chilly tomb ; 
Not for the throne Elizabeth, for her the convent's gloom ; 
And the brave knight who for her right so nobly stood alone 
Is crushed beneath the ruins of the Arpad's ancient throne. 

Anonymous. 



12,6 THE HEART OF EUROPE. 

We round the island, and a splendid picture bursts upon the view. 
Before us the river, dotted with sails, among which shoots here and there 
a steamboat, with streaming feather of smoke ; at the right, Buda, once a 
Turkish city, seated on its hill-top, like a pacha upon his divan ; at the left, 
a broad quay, stretching two miles in length, lined with handsome white 
buildings, — most of them with porticos and colonnades, — and the city rising 
behind ; rows and rows of roofs, cut by a few steeples, and relieved against 
a violet sky worthy of Italy. We are at Pesth. 

We land near the bridge, and find ourselves in the midst of a gay, ges- 
ticulating throng. The buildings on the quay prove to be cafes, restaurants, 
and hotels of the better class, — real polyglot establishments, where you hear 
French, German, English, Italian, and Hungarian, all spoken in a breath. 
Outside, the style of construction is elegant; within, there is great display, — 
spacious dining-rooms, opening into courtyards filled with shrubs and flowers ; 
broad staircases of easy ascent ; marble and stucco everywhere ; walls lined 
with mirrors, and ceilings brilliant with fresco-painting. 

There is much to see in Pesth, but first of all the traveller is attracted 
by the people. It is a new race, and the eye is never satisfied with watching 
this crowd of handsome men and women, whose movements are so vivacious, 
whose type of face is so well marked, and whose attire is so novel and 
picturesque. 

And it is truly a superb race. The women have an air of decision and 
character — something frank and cavalier in their bearing — that suggests 
Scott's heroine, Di Vernon. The whole effect is, perhaps, a trifle masculine ; 
but such good fellows they are, and so handsome ! Their costume lends a 
little to the illusion. It scarcely differs from the man's save by the addition 
of a skirt. There is the white shirt gathered around the neck, and having 
long, full sleeves, trimmed at the wrist with wide lace ; the tight jacket, red, 
black, or green, with fringes, cords, and buttons of silver, outlining well the 
slender waist ; and, fastened upon one shoulder, in hussar-fashion, the short 
dolman of velvet or silk. Add to this the familiar national hat, turned up 
very high at the sides, and surmounted by an aigrette of feathers. The well- 
arched foot is shod with a neat brodequin, sometimes with an elegant red 
morocco boot, the spur clinking gayly as the fair wearer walks. 

The markets are characteristic and picturesque. They are held usually 
along the quays. Long rows of wagons are ranged on the river-side ; all of 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



137 




II 



^ 







them are of the same shape. Four-wheeled, long, and narrow, they form at 
the back a kind of tent to which are 
hung great baskets of fruit and veg- 
etables, and cages filled with fowls. 
While the husband displays and sells 
his merchandise, the wife, — for the 
whole family are present, — down on 
the river's edge, is cooking the dinner 
in a great iron pot, over an impro- 
vised fire. A mat, placed on the ground 
and surrounded by hoops fastened into 
the earth and supporting a second mat, 
shelters the children, who chatter and 
play together or lie asleep, while the 
horses — there are always two — wan- 
der about, picking up every stray bit 
of hay or provender. The sight of ; 
these primitive wagons carries back \ 
one's thoughts to the time when At- * 
tila's savage hordes debouched for the 

b 

first time upon the Dacian plains. At ? 
the same instant appeared a human 
being who might have been himself 
one of the veritable companions of " the 
Scourge of God." It was a peasant, 
with flat nose, round eyes, broad and 
prominent cheek-bones, mustache long 
and drooping, complexion bronze, clad 
in sheep-skin jacket and loose trousers 
of coarse linen, held round the waist 
by a scarf fringed out at the edges, 
and hanging down to the heavy hob- 
nailed, spurred boots. On his head was 
a broad-brimmed hat, the brim turned 
up, half hiding his ears, behind which 
hung down two long braids of hair. It 



138 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



was amusing to watch this figure, wandering along the streets, looking about 

him with the simple-minded and con- 
fused air of the savage. Suddenly he 
stood still before a magasin de confec- 
tion for women, where was displayed a 
complete assortment of dresses, man- 
tles, and outside garments of the latest 
Viennese fashion. For a long time he 
eyed these varied products of modern 
civilization, turning from one to an- 
other, and shaking his head like a 
man at once perplexed and dissatisfied. 
Finally, doubtless despairing of finding 
what he sought, he addressed himself 
to the shop-woman, saying something 
in a heavy, guttural voice, of which 
but one word was at all familiar to 
a foreign ear, — crinolinoch ! It was 
amusing to see his surprise when a 
kind of haircloth cage, stiffened with 
whalebones in guise of springs, which 
was hanging outside, was taken down 
and held before him. He turned it 
round and round, seeming to ask him- 
self what use could be made of this 
by the village coquette whose messen- 
ger he doubtless was. It required the 
reiterated assurances and demonstra- 
tions of the shop-woman to persuade 
him to make the purchase. 

Towards sunset we pass the mouth 
of the Drave, a river broad and deep 
enough to carry vessels of a hundred 
and fifty tons ; but the addition of this 
enormous mass of water seems to pro- 
duce no effect upon the mighty stream 




THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



139 



on which we arc sailing. 










Below the influx of the Drave, 
which belongs to Slavonia, rises in 
low hills, clothed with vineyards and 
orchards, the Hungarian bank still 
remaining level. 

The two cities, Semlin and Bel- 
grade, are situated on the right shore 
of the river ; the Save, which here 
falls into the Danube, making the 
separation between Semlin, the Aus- 
trian city, and Belgrade, the capital 
of Servia. The former is, however, 
essentially a Servian city ; although 
German is the official language, Ser- 
vian is that used in all affairs of daily 
life. The town itself, lying well up 
from the river, — for the Danube is 

< 

a dangerous neighbor, from whom it * 

o 

is safe to keep one's distance, — is 2 
dull and unattractive, and we hastened £ 

> 

to take the ferry-boat for Belgrade, " 
which lay temptingly stretched out 
before us : in the centre of the pic- 
ture a hill, covered with brown, sun- 
dried vegetation, two or three white 
roads ascending it in serpentine fash- 
ion, and upon the summit, long white 
walls enclosing a great square build- 
ing, apparently a barrack, gardens, and 
a mosque surmounted by two sharp- 
pointed minarets. At the right, on 
lower ground, sloping gently to the 
river, lies the city, — a crowd of Euro- 
pean-looking houses, surmounted by 
one tall church-tower. On the left, 
apparently a second city under the 



the 



right 



shore, 







j' 1 



140 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



til'n ''J, i! 



hill, hidden amid fruit-trees, above which lifted itself here and there a solitary- 
cypress. All this, seen from a distance, 
blurred by the luminous morning mist 
which hung beneath a blue sky of ex- 
quisite purity, promised well, and, by 
the help of some imagination, announced 
the Orient. 

Of the towns and villages that now 
line the river banks, our view is so 
brief that no description is possible. 
One only shall have mention, for the 
sake of its place in history, — Nicopolis, 

— lying picturesquely stretched along a 
beautiful plain, adorned with many trees, 
and commanded by two hills, the one 
on the right crowned with a fortress of 
which little more than the flagstaffs are 
discernible, that on the left surmounted 
by what appears to be a tower of obser- 
vation. The city itself seems large and 
closely built, and retreats away from the 
river up the ravine that lies between 
the two hills. 

This is all that we can see as we 
sail past in the soft September after- 
noon. History relates that here, almost 
five centuries ago, on such a Septem- 
ber day as this, an army of crusaders, 
the flower of French chivalry, were cut 
to pieces — massacred almost to a man 

— by the Turkish sultan Bajazet, sur- 
named " El Derim,'" or " The Lightning." 
The Ottoman Turks were threatening 
Christendom, Froissart tells us ; Bajazet 
had sworn to feed his horse from the 
high altar of St. Peter's in Rome. 




THE HEART OF EUROPE. 141 

Thereupon ensued a fresh outbreak of those crusades, so often renewed 
throughout the fourteenth century. All the knighthood of France arose to 
avenge the insult. In April, 1396, the crusading army set forth under its 
youthful leader, and made its noisy way through Germany, everywhere dis- 
playing its valiant ardor, its presumptuous thoughtlessness, and its chivalrous 
irregularity. They marched gayly down the valley of the Danube, esteeming 
the crusade a party of pleasure. At Nicopolis they met the Turkish army. 
When they knew that a battle was imminent, the King of Hungary proposed 
that they should send forward first his foot-soldiers and light cavalry against 
the enemy's skirmishers, and that the heavy-armed knights should hold them- 
selves in reserve against the real attack of the whole Ottoman force. But no 
one was willing to stay behind ; they all rushed forward, and fell upon what- 
ever enemy showed himself; and so arrived, exhausted and in disorder, at 
the summit of a hill, where they were received by that formidable body of 
janizaries, then but lately organized, who had easy work with the breathless 
and disordered Christian host. Ten thousand captives were put to death by 
command of the sultan; only the young Count of Nevers and twenty-four 
French nobles were spared, and retained as prisoners ; nor did they see their 
homes again, till, after much negotiation and the elapse of over a year in 
captivity, the heavy ransom was paid which the victorious Turk required. 

Meantime we are approaching Giurgevo. A certain monotony now over- 
hangs everything ; the wide and tranquil current, the cloudless sky, the remote 
shores, are the same, hour after hour. Suddenly a little variety is introduced 
into the scene ; the boat nears the Bulgarian shore, and we stop for a few 
minutes at a little village surmounted by a solitary white tower, — the last 
landing, they tell us, before we reach Rustchuk. Again in motion, we are 
near enough to the shore to observe it. There is no trace of a road, or 
of any human industry, along this shore, and still the beach is strewn with 
great square blocks of stone. 

We stop first at Rustchuk, where the usual activity of an important land- 
ing prevails ; then, swinging out into the stream again, we cross to the oppo- 
site shore, and disembark at Giurgevo. Thus ends our journey through the 
Heart of Europe. 



142 THE HEART OF EUROPE. 



BISHOP BRUNO, 

Bishop Bruno awoke in the dead midnight, 
And he heard his heart beat loud with affright : 
He dreamt he had rung the palace bell, 
And the sound it gave was his passing knell. 

Bishop Bruno smiled at his fears so vain, 

He turned to sleep and he dreamt again ; 

He rang at the palace gate once more, 

And Death was the Porter that opened the door. 

He started up at the fearful dream, 

And he heard at his window the screech-owl scream ; 

Bishop Bruno slept no more that night, — 

O, glad was he when he saw the daylight ! 

Now he goes forth in proud array, 
For he with the Emperor dines to-day ; 
There was not a baron in Germany 
That went with a nobler train than he. 

Before and behind his soldiers ride, 
The people thronged to see their pride ; 
They bowed the head, and the knee they bent, 
But nobody blest him as he went. 

So he went on stately and proud, 

When he heard a voice that cried aloud, 

" Ho ! ho ! Bishop Bruno ! you travel with glee, — 

But I would have you know you travel to me ! " 

Behind and before and on either side 

He looked, but nobody he espied ; 

And the Bishop at that grew cold with fear, 

For he heard the words distinct and clear. 



THE HEART OF EUROPE. 143 

And when he rang at the palace bell, 
He almost expected to hear his knell ; 
And when the porter turned the key, 
He almost expected Death to see. 

But soon the Bishop recovered his glee, 
For the Emperor welcomed him royally ; 
And now the tables were spread, and there 
Were choicest wines and dainty fare. 

And now the Bishop had blest the meat, 
When a voice was heard as he sat in his seat, — 
" With the Emperor now you are dining with glee, 
But know, Bishop Bruno ! you sup with me ! " 

The Bishop then grew pale with affright, 

And suddenly lost his appetite; 

All the wine and dainty cheer 

Could not comfort his heart that was sick with fear. 

But by little and little recovered he, 
For the wine went flowing merrily, 
Till at length he forgot his former dread, 
And his cheeks again grew rosy red. 

When he sat down to the royal fare 
Bishop Bruno was the saddest man there, 
But when the maskers entered the hall, 
He was the merriest man of all. 

Then from amid the maskers' crowd 
There went a voice hollow and loud, — 
"You have past the clay, Bishop Bruno, in glee, 
But you must pass the night with me ! " 

His cheek grows pale, and his eyeballs glare, 
And stiff round his tonsure bristled his hair ; 
With that there came one from the maskers' band, 
And took the Bishop by the hand. 

The bony hand suspended his breath, 
His marrow grew cold at the touch of Death ; 
On saints in vain he attempted to call, 
Bishop Bruno fell dead in the palace hall. 

Robert Southey 



University Press: John Wilson & Son, Cambridge. 

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